Secrets Revealed
by Truechinook
Summary: When the world finds out who the scouts are, what will they do? First fanfic so please be nice. *Complete* Woohoo!!!
1. Prologue

Hey peoples! Anywayz, this is my second story (the first it 'The First to Find Out'). If you can't find the first one, don't worry. I reread it, and *hated* it! So I'm redoing it. It'll be out soon. All you'll need to know so that your not totally confused is that Sammy found out that Serena is Sailor Moon. So he was told *everything*.  
  
So, this story is set *after* Sailor Moon Stars, just like all my stories. It'll follow the timeline (sorry to all the people who only like AR fics), but Rini is here. Just pretend that after Stars, she came back for more "training". Diana didn't come with her, but she will make an appearance. And, please, be nice. This *is* technically my first time writing a fanfic. Comments and advice are greatly appreciated.   
  
Oh, by the way, I tried to buy Sailor Moon on Ebay, but someone took it. If anyone can get it for me… Okay, who believed that??? You don't know a lot about Sailor Moon, do you? In other words, I soo don't own Sailor Moon, so please, don't sue me.   
  
Oh, I have only seen the English dub, so some of my information might not be totally correct. Sorry. I have gotten most of my information from sites and other fanfics, so I probably haven't made too many mistakes. Feel free to e-mail me, correcting my mistakes. And sorry to those people who hate the dub names, but I love them. That's why I'm using them. True – I do know the Japanese names, and I love them too, but I just like the dub better. Sorry. But, as Lianne (great author – read her 'Usagi and Mamoru' series – it's excellent!) likes to say:  
  
***Down With Dub Bashing!!!!!!! ***  
  
For those who don't know the Dub names, here's the translation (I may not use all these in the fic. They're just for your reference).  
  
Tsukino Usagi – Serena Tsukino  
  
Aino Minako – Minako (Mina) Aino (Lucky her, her name didn't change!)  
  
Mizuno Ami – Amy Anderson (Anyone know why her last name changed when almost no one else's did?)  
  
Kino Makoto – Lita Kino  
  
Hino Rai – Raye Hino  
  
Chibi-Usa – Rini; Sailor Chibi Moon – Sailor Mini Moon   
  
Chiba Mamoru – Darien Chiba (Shields? That may be his name, but who actually likes it? I totally prefer Chiba (besides, that was used in a dubbed episode))  
  
Tomoe Hotaru – Hotaru Tomoe (She didn't have her named changed either. Lucky!!!)  
  
Ten'ou Haruka – Amara Ten'ou  
  
Kaiou Michiru – Michelle Kaiou  
  
Meiou Setsuna – Trista Meiou  
  
***Those 3 above all the real ones. I've seen the dubbed episodes with them, and those are the names used. The original doll boxes were wrong people (they said that Haruka's name was Alex, and things like that)***  
  
Shingo – Sammy  
  
Kenji – Ken (although I'll be using Kenji so that he isn't mixed up with Lita's boyfriend Ken)  
  
Ikuko – Ikuko (Some use Ilene, but in one of the episodes, Rini calls her "Ikuko-mama". So I use Ikuko)  
  
Naru – Molly  
  
Umino – Melvin  
  
Motoki – Andrew  
  
Unazuki – Lizzy  
  
Reika – Rita  
  
Yuuichirou – Chad  
  
Urawa – Greg  
  
Momoko – Melissa (Melly)  
  
*___* indicates a empathized word  
  
'___' indicates a thought  
  
  
Secrets Revealed  
By: Sarah M  
truechinook@hotmail.com  
  
  
"Why did I agree to take you two shopping again?" cried Serena. She was shopping, and, for the first time in her life, she wanted to go home. Normally she loved shopping, but that's when it didn't include her brother and future daughter.  
  
"Because you love us tons." Replied Rini.  
  
"And because mom made you." Said Sammy. "You shouldn't have spent all your allowance money. Then you would have to do extra chores to get more."  
  
"And anyways," said Rini. "Shopping isn't really a chore."  
  
"It is with you two." Serena grumbled. She was weighed down with shopping bags, since Sammy and Rini had refused to carry any. They had been in the mall for over two hours, and she had to follow them wherever they wanted to go. And they both of them wanted to go *everywhere*.  
  
"Come one Serena." Sammy cried. He was totally sick of his big sister's whining and complaining. She was supposed to be sixteen, and Sailor Moon. But instead she was acting like a five year old. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'At least she's annoyed.'  
  
"Can't we just go home?" Serena cried. Tears were appearing in her eyes. She was totally bored. There was a lot of stuff she wanted to do today, and none of them included Rini and Sammy, although Rini would probably tag along anyway. And she had a date with Darien that she had to get ready for, but at this rate, she would probably end up being late for it. "You two have been to every single store. There aren't any more places for you to go!" Serena's whining had now escalated to the point where only dogs could understand her. Sammy and Rini knew that this would be coming, and had already covered their ears with their hands. Neither of them could stand it when she hit this tone. Nor could anyone else around them.  
  
"Serena!" Rini screamed, trying her best to be heard over Serena's whining. "Would you just shut up!"  
  
Suddenly, they heard a scream, followed by many more. Luckily, they were louder then Serena's whining, or else no one would have heard them. Serena stopped whining immediately, and ran towards where the screams were coming from. All that training as a scout had taught her that when you hear screaming like that, you stop whatever you are doing and get towards it as fast as possible. Serena already had her communicator out when she reached the scene. Rini had been given one a few weeks ago, so that she could notify the other scouts if something happened, and she had hers out too. Sammy caught up quickly, since he wasn't used to having to run as quickly as the girls. He gasped, and backed up a few steps. Standing in front of them was a huge monster surrounded by screaming people. The monster was huge, defiantly over six feet tall. It had sharp knifes for arms, a blue body, and the head ended in a sharp, silver point. It hadn't hurt anyone yet, but that might have been because nearly everybody had run off, trying to find safety.  
  
"A monster." Rini whispered. "This is scout business."  
  
Serena was way ahead of them. She had already pressed the all-call button on her communicator, and told the other scouts to get to the mall as fast as possible.  
  
"Sammy, listen to me, and listen good." Serena said, with a tone Rini knew too well. That was the same tone that both Serena and Neo Queen Serenity used when they wanted someone to pay attention to them and do exactly what they said. Serena had grabbed both Rini and Sammy and pulled them out of the monster's sight. They were behind a wall, just around the corner of where it was. "Sammy you stay here. Don't move, no matter what you hear. Understand?"  
  
Sammy nodded. He rarely ever saw his sister like this. He knew that she must be worried.  
  
"Good. Rini, lets go."  
  
"Okay"  
  
"Moon Eternal Power!"  
  
"Mini Moon Crystal Power!"  
  
Sammy glanced to the left quickly. Right after the girls began to transform, Sammy heard footsteps, and he knew how dangerous it would be for someone to find out who the scouts were. Serena had told him what would happen when he found out. But since he didn't see anything, Sammy turned back to the two Sailor Scouts that were now in front of him.  
  
"Stay Sammy." Sailor Moon said before running off to the fight with Rini.  
  
'Like I would actually stay put.' Sammy thought. Not only did he want to see the fight, but also, after the girls had transformed, he had heard a click.  
  
"I am Sailor Moon!"  
  
"I am Sailor Mini Moon!"  
  
"We are the champions of love and justice and…"  
  
"On behalf of the moon…"  
  
"We will punish you!"  
  
"Ahhh," the monster cried. "So you're the Sailor Scouts."  
  
"That's right." Said Mini Moon.  
  
"And we're the rest of the Scouts." Shouted Sailor Mars, appearing on the scene, with the others behind her.  
  
"Venus…"  
  
"Jupiter…"  
  
"Love and Beauty Shock!"  
  
"Oak Evolution!"  
  
The monster stumbled a bit, but regained its balance. But that was long enough. Mars appeared behind it, and managed to distract it.  
  
"Mars Flame Sniper!"  
  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"   
  
"Sailor Moon," Mini cried. "Do it now!"  
  
"Right. Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"  
  
The monster was fast, which was the reason that Mercury needed to freeze it. Fortunately, the monster wasn't smart, so they were able to get rid of it quickly. Soon, all that was left was a pile of dust.  
  
"That was way too easy." Said Jupiter.  
  
"I agree," Mercury replied. "Most at least put up a fight. This one was taken care of too quickly."  
  
"Well," said Sailor Moon. "It wasn't *that* easy. All of us, except for Mini Moon, needed to use our attacks. Maybe we're just getting better. And anyway, these are just strays. There isn't anyone controlling them."  
  
"That was so cool!" Sammy said, appearing on the scene. "I wish I could be in the fights!"  
  
Serena gave him on of those are-you-crazy looks. Sammy just smiled.  
  
"Oh no!" Said Mini Moon. "Sailor Moon, we're late. We we're supposed to be home a half hour ago!"  
  
"Told you." Serena grumbled, although no one could really hear what she said. She just sighed and detransformed. Mini Moon detransformed right after.  
  
"Come on," Serena said, starting towards the exit. The other scouts had left when Serena detransformed, and people were starting to come out of there hiding place. "And you two are helping carry all these bags."  
  
"Got it." Said a voice in the shadows. "That's the last of them."  
  
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Soo, what do you think. I know it's short (so sorry). I'm still learning to use Fanfiction.net, so I hope I don't screw something up. I *might* end up adjusting parts of it, I'm still writing the story. Sorry if this is kind of boring, but I promise that the rest of the stories that I write will be more interesting (I have about 15 writen in my head; all I gotta do is write them down). Please be patient if this is a bit boring, I am doing my best. Questions? Comments? Advice? E-mail me:) 


	2. Chapter One

Hey, next instalement here. I hope that this story isn't too boring, but I promise that the stories I write in the future will be more exciting. I'm doing my best to finish this story as quickly as possible (I really want to write the others). So bear with me, I'm doing my best:)  
Comments? Questions? Advice? E-mail me.  
************************************************************************************************  
  
"Good morning!" said Rini, bounding down the stairs the next day. She had sleep remarkably well, and had woken up way earlier then usual. In fact, she was up so early, that the only other person up was Ikuko. A quick check at the clock told her that it was 7:30.  
  
"Rini, daring, could you please get the paper?" asked Ikuko. "And it's good to see you up so early."  
  
Rini just smiled, and started towards the front door. She opened it and reached for the paper. She looked at it while closing the door. What she saw on the front page made her gasp and all the colour drain from her face. She began panicking, and then took off, clutching the newspaper. She ran as fast as she could to the stairs, then up to Serena's room.   
  
"Rini, what's wrong?" Said Ikuko, as Rini ran past. But she didn't stop to answer. She was too scared. Heart racing, she opened Serena's bedroom door.  
  
"Serena!" Rini cried, with obvious fear in her voice.  
  
"Rini, what's the matter?" Said Luna sleepily. But when she saw Rini's face, she knew something was wrong.  
  
"Serena!" Rini cried. Her voice was still filled with fear and there were tears running down her face. "Serena! Please! Wake up!"  
  
"Rini," Serena said, waking up. She was a little annoyed at the early-morning wake-up call, but one look at Rini made her snap to attention. "Rini, what's wrong?"  
  
Rini just gave her the newspaper and through herself into Serena's arms. Luna knew that something big must have happened, and she ran to Serena's side. Serena picked up the newspaper and looked at the front page. Both her and Luna's reactions were similar to Rini's. And they both panicked. The title on the front page read "Sailors Scouts Reveled". Below were pictures the scouts transforming, with Serena and Rini's in the center.   
  
"This isn't good." Said Luna, pacing the length of the bed. "This just is not good."  
  
Serena meanwhile was reading the article. If there had been any colour left in her face after she read the title, it was gone now. The article said who the scouts were, where they went to school, and tons more. But Serena just couldn't read it. She had bigger things to worry about.  
  
"Alright," she said. "Here's what we're going to do. Rini, I know that you must be scared…" She held the still crying girl, and tilted Rini's face upwards. The look on her face melted Serena's heart. It was a look of pure sadness and fear, one Rini rarely showed. Unfortunately, Serena knew that they had to do some very quick damage control. Otherwise she would have started crying immediately. "…but you have to be brave. These papers are being distributed throughout the city, and the entire town, at least, will know by lunch. Rini, I need you to go wake up Sammy. Tell him to get in here now. Luna, go help her. Your claws might be needed. I'm going to contact the girls. Now go." Serena drew in a deep breath and got out of bed. Rini and Luna knew what she was going to do, and they ran to get Sammy.  
  
Serena grabbed her communicator and pressed the "all call" button.  
  
"Girls" she screamed into the communicator. "Get up NOW!"  
  
"Serena," said Mina, her face appearing on the screen. "You had better have a *really* good reason for waking us up this early."  
  
"Ya Meatball Head," said Raye. "It's Sunday. The day for sleeping late."  
  
"You guys can sleep later." Serena said. "I want all of you to look at the front page of the paper."  
  
"Why?" Asked Lita.  
  
"Just do it."  
  
"Serena," said Sammy, entering the room with Rini and Luna behind him. "What is going on?"  
  
Serena just tossed him the paper. Rini and Luna ran to Serena, and Sammy started to read. He gasped at the title, and looked up. One glance at the faces before him told him to just read.  
  
"Serena, this isn't happening this isn't happening!" "What are we going to do?" "How did they find out?" "This is a major problem!" All the girls began yelling at once. They were totally scared. A secret that they had kept safe for years was out. And they were finding out at the same time as everyone else.  
  
"First of all, where's Artemis?" Serena said.  
  
"Right here." He said.  
  
"Good. Mina will need your help. There's only one way out of this."  
  
The scouts, as well as the cats and Sammy, looked at her with horror on their faces. They knew what she was going to say. But they remained silent. Each of them knew how hard it was for her to say what she was going to.   
  
"We have to tell our families. It's the only way. They'll know in a few hours anyway. So who would you rather tell them, yourself or the hundreds of fans that will be at your doors?"  
  
"I agree." Amy said.  
  
"Okay, I guess." Said Raye.  
  
"You're right." Mina added.  
  
Lita remained silent, but only because she had no family to tell.  
  
"Well, then, you guys better go tell them now. And Lita, could you call Darien. Tell him what we're going to do, and that we shouldn't see each other today. It's going to be just too dangerous. And I want to keep his identity secret as long as possible. I guess I had better go tell my parents now."  
  
"Okay," all four replied in unison, then their faces disappeared from the screen. They knew that she was just putting on a brave face, and really she wanted nothing more then to run away and cry. But what she had to do next would require every ounce of courage she had. A thought ran thorough each of their minds. 'I am *really* glad that I don't have to tell her parents. *Really* glad.'  
  
Serena put her communicator on her wrist and headed for the door. Sammy, with the newspaper, Rini, and Luna all followed her, and together they went downstairs. Towards the kitchen. Towards her and Sammy's parents.  
  
  
"Mom, Dad, we have to talk." Said Serena entering the kitchen. Her voice contained fear and sorrow, but she was doing her best to sound brave. Her face held the expression that was rarely ever seen, similar to the one that she had used at the mall, only with this one you could see she was trying to hold back tears.  
  
"No!" Rini and Sammy screamed at almost the same time. The radio had been turned on, and neither wanted them to find out any sooner then possible. Sammy darted towards the radio, and turned it off as quickly as possible.  
  
"Sammy, what are you…" Kenji began. But he stopped when he saw the expressions on all three of the children's faces. Looks of pure fear on the youngest two, and Serena's told him to listen.  
  
"Here," she said, handing them the newspaper. "Read this."  
  
Her mother gave her a questioning look, but then went over to where Kenji sat to read the article. She gasped, as her husband had done, when she saw what it was about. But she kept reading, even though Kenji had stopped. He raised his head to look at his daughter.  
  
"This is insane!" he began. "Where do they come up with these crazy ideas? Imagine, my little girl, my little Serena, a Sailor Scout! Sailor Moon even! And Rini as Sailor Mini Moon! That's impossible!"  
  
"Dad…" Serena said, trying to be heard above her father's shouting. "Daddy! It's true."  
  
Those last two words made her parents fall silent and look up at her. Both of their faces held the expression that said 'this isn't possible'.  
  
"Serena…Rini…no" Ikuko said in a barely audible whisper.  
  
Serena just nodded, and both Rini and Luna could see the tears in her eyes. This was something she had never ever really wanted to do. And now she didn't even have a choice. Rini nodded slightly, not taking her eyes off Serena. She hated seeing her like this, especially when she knew nothing could stop what she was about to say and do. Rini only moved closer to her, until they were standing side by side. Luna wanted to stand with Serena as well, but she knew she couldn't go, not yet anyway. Instead, she darted across the room and stood with Sammy.  
  
Serena looked down at Rini. Rini nodded. The colour from Serena's parent's faces drained as they saw what their daughter and niece were doing. Both held their brooches high above their heads, and opened their mouths to speak.  
  
"Moon Eternal Power!"  
  
"Mini Moon Crystal Power!"  
  
In a flash of feathers, where Serena and Rini once stood, now stood Eternal Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Mini Moon. Serena's parents had both horror and fear written across their faces. Neither could truly believe what they were seeing.  
  
"I am Sailor Moon…."  
  
"I am Sailor Mini Moon…"  
  
"We are the champions of love and justice. And, on behalf of the moon we will right all wrongs and triumph over evil!"  
  
"Serena…." Kenji began.  
  
"How? Why? When?" Ikuko asked.  
  
Serena looked at Luna for approval, then, when she nodded, did something that she rarely did by choice. She let her guard drop, and opened herself to her heritage. Her true heritage, and her right. She let the power of the silver crystal and the power of the Moon Kingdom take over her. And she transformed into who she really was.  
  
Her crescent moon shining with all the power of the Moon Kingdom, Serena turned to face her parents. Both of them just stared.  
  
"I am Princess Serenity of the White Moon. Daughter of Queen Serenity and heir to the throne of the Silver Millennium." She looked at her parents when she finished. Her expression read 'I'm sorry'. Sorry for not telling them sooner, and sorry for what she had to say.  
  
Rini looked at her with a face that showed pure respect. Even though Serena wasn't looking at her, she could see Rini's face. She could see Sammy and Luna's easily. Sammy couldn't believe how Serena looked. He had heard the stories of the Moon Kingdom, and descriptions of what his sister looked like, but he had never expected something like this. She looked so…so…regal. That was the only word that described her. Luna knew how she would look, but even she believed that Serena looked so much older. So much like the princess she is, and the queen she would be. Luna had to repress the urge to bow before Serena. She that this was not the time, and anyway, Serena never really liked those formalities.  
  
Serena took in a deep breath. She knew the effect that this must be having on her parents. The horror on their faces told her that they were scared, and rather surprised. But she knew that she had to continue. She had to tell them the whole story, or else they would never understand. She took in another deep breath, and tried to fight back the gathering tears. Remembering her home, remembering what happened, she began.  
  
"A thousand years ago, my home was a place called the Moon Kingdom. It was a happy place, the happiest place in the universe. It existed during a wonderful time known as the Silver Millennium. All the planets were at peace, and the Kingdom of the White Moon ruled them all. Queen Serenity was the ruler of Moon, and she was often described as a fair and gentle ruler, the best the solar system could ask for. She had one daughter, Princess Serenity, who she was training to follow in her footsteps. Princess Serenity had fallen in love with a Prince from Earth. They were engaged to be married. But before that could happen, an evil woman named Beryl appeared. She wanted nothing but power, and would do anything to get it. She attacked Earth first, getting more to fight for her. Then she came after the Moon. It was the most powerful place of all, and getting control of it would mean getting control over everything. She attacked without notice, and released her most powerful allies onto us. The scouts fought with all their strength, but it wasn't enough. The shadow warrior destroyed our fighters quickly. Then Beryl came after me. Endymion, the Prince from Earth, came to protect me. Beryl wanted him to join her, but he refused, so Beryl…Beryl…" Serena stopped. Her eyes were filled with tears. Images of the end filled her head. Darien being taken, both being killed, the Moon Kingdom forever destroyed. Rini saw the tears, and came to comfort her. Luna would have finished the story, but her talking would be reveled later, not now. And Rini and Sammy didn't know everything, and they knew that this was something Serena must explain. Rini held her hand, trying her best to do what she could to comfort her future mother. Rini gave her her bravest smile, urging Serena to continue. Serena smiled at her, drew in a deep breath, and wiped away her tears. "Beryl captured him, and was forcing him to come. I went after him; I could bear for him to be hurt. Beryl decided then to destroy us both. When Queen Serenity saw that her daughter had been killed, she decided to use the Empirium Silver Crystal, to send everyone, every member of our court, to a new future on Earth. A future where they could have peace. Unfortunately, to do so, Queen Serenity had to use the full power of the Empirium Silver Crystal. It…it…destroyed her." Serena didn't even try to stop the tears. They were now falling down her face freely. It was so hard to talk about her past, but she knew she had to. "But she hadn't been able to destroy Beryl, for if she had, she would have destroyed us too. Instead, she trapped Beryl in the Silver Crystal. She also sent our advisors with us to protect us in the future and awaken our powers incase Beryl and her forces every escaped." Serena drew in a deep breath. That was the basic history, but now she had to explain about the people. And explaining Darien wouldn't be easy.  
  
"Serena" her mother started. "Is this…is this…is this true?"  
  
Serena nodded. Her mother had a face of confusion. She couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't believe who her daughter was. Kenji couldn't believe it was true either. He couldn't even look up; he was doing his best to understand what his daughter was saying though.  
  
"Serena, the scouts from the past were…" said Kenji, still looking down. He knew what the answer would be, but he had to know.  
  
"They're the same scouts that defend our planet. Solider of ice and wisdom, Princess of Mercury, Sailor Mercury. Solider of fire and soul, Princess of Mars, Sailor Mars. Solider of thunder and strength, Princess of Jupiter, Sailor Jupiter. Solider of love and beauty, Princess of Venus, Sailor Venus. Members of my court and my guardians. And Protector of the Earth and the Moon Princess, Prince Endymion of Earth, Tuxedo Mask. My Darien."  
  
Those last words made her father look up. It was no secret that he didn't like Darien. He had always thought that he was too old for his little girl. Now, finding out who he was…well, Kenji wasn't very happy. Ikuko was just surprised. She never knew that her daughter could keep these kinds of secrets. Serena was usually an open book, yet she had been keeping a large part of her life a secret. A part of her life that didn't include them, and probably never would. Ikuko looked up, straight into Serena's eyes. She ignored the regal air, the blazing crescent moon, and just stared in the eyes.   
  
"Mom," she said, changing back to Serena. "Mom, Daddy, I love you too more then anything. My past life doesn't matter now. Queen Serenity doesn't affect how I feel about you two. Daddy, please, look at me." Serena begged those last words. Her father was still staring at the floor. He didn't want to believe any of this. Serena hated this. She never wanted to tell. But now she had too, and they weren't taking it well. At least her father wasn't. Her mother could tell how hard this was for her, and was putting on a brave face. Ikuko knew that right now she needed to comfort Serena, for this was hard for her. But there were a few questions she needed to ask. One being why Sammy seemed so okay with this.  
  
"Serena," she began. Serena's head shot straight up. Her mother hadn't said a word in a while, but now it looked like she was going to say a lot. "I have a few questions. Is that okay?" Serena nodded, so she began. "First why is Sammy so calm with this?"  
  
This caused smiles to appear on Serena, Rini, and Sammy's faces. But since Serena knew that her mother was being serious, she straightened up and answered.  
  
"Sammy found out a while ago. It wasn't by choice, he just saw us transform. And he has done a good job of keeping it a secret. But he wasn't okay with it when he found out. He was really surprised"  
  
"Alright, next question. You said your advisors were sent with you. Who are they?"  
  
'I wonder if she'll believe me?' Serena thought. "The guardians are Luna and Artemis. Don't tell me you haven't noticed that they have crescent moons identical to mine?"  
  
"Now that IS impossible!" Serena's father said, surprising everyone. No one had expected him to respond now, especially when he had remained so quite when he found out about Darien. "Luna is just a cat. A stray you picked up off the street. The crescent is merely a coincidence. Cats aren't advisors!"  
  
"Dad, Luna has taught me everything I know! She helped me discover my past, and deal with me being a Sailor Scout! She kept me from giving up or doing something stupid! If it wasn't for her and Artemis, I'd be dead! Luna isn't just a stray! Luna is my best friend!"  
  
"LUNA…IS…JUST…A…CAT!"  
  
Luna couldn't take it any longer. Serena was standing in front of her, with tears streaming down her face. Even though they were going to introduce the talking-cat thing later, Luna decided that 'later' had come. She wasn't going to let Serena be hurt anymore. She ran until she stood in front of Kenji, and then prepared to defend her honor.  
  
"I am not *just a cat*," she began. Both the Tsukinos gasped in horror. They had never imagined a talking cat, even after all they had just heard. "I am advisor to the Royal Family of the Moon. As well as, with Artemis's help, trainer of the Sailor Scouts. I assist in training the Princess to one day rule. So if I was *just a cat* this world would have crumpled ages ago." With that, she sat down and stared at Kenji. Both Ikuko and Kenji continued staring at Luna. A smile appeared on Serena's face. Luna was the one who was always telling her to learn to control her temper, and now Luna was the one who lost it. But Serena knew that Luna had done it only because she couldn't bare to see her cry. Serena made a mental note to thank Luna later, but in the meantime, it was getting later, and the reporters would be here soon.  
  
"Listen," she began. Everybody immediately turned to face her. They didn't expect her to look so calm now when she had been crying a minute ago. They also didn't expect her to be back in her sailor form. She had transformed before she began to talk, because she felt that it would be easier to explain like this. "There are going to be quite a few reporters here soon, so we might want to hurry along our explanations. We still have a lot to go through. And Mom, Dad, please don't interrupt until I have finished. It'll be easier to answer questions then." Serena sat down, and motioned for Rini, Sammy, and Luna to sit around her. She needed all the support she could get. "Now, this all began two years ago, when I was fourteen. If you remember, that was when the Sailor Moon first appeared. Luna found me. A monster had gone after Molly, and Luna needed to reawaken my sailor powers. I fought on my own for a while, well, sort of 'on my own'. I had Luna guiding me and Tuxedo Mask protecting me. Mercury was the first to join. Mars followed her. Then it was just the three of us for a long time. Jupiter and Venus, in that order, joined right before we found out I was the moon princess. Since *all* of our memories were gone, not even Luna and Artemis could figure out who she was. When Zoicite attacked Darien, she nearly killed him. That was just after I found out who he was. My tears caused the rainbow crystals to appear, and combine, to form the Empirium Silver Crystal. Then I transformed to a Princess. Long story short, we defeated Beryl after. Unfortunately, she wasn't our last enemy. Ann and Alan, with the Doom Tree, came next, followed by Wiseman and the Black Moon Family. Then Fiore controlled by the Cassienien blossom, and after the Heart Snatchers ruled by Pharaoh 90. Oh, and we had that Ice Witch and her Snow Dancers. After them was Neherenia and Zirconia, followed by Badyanu with the Sugar Fairies. Our last enemy was Galaxia, and it's a good this she was last, for our enemies kept getting stronger. And any stronger then Galaxia and we'd be dead." Serena whispered that last sentence. But her mother still heard her. Ikuko decided to keep quite about that, but she couldn't keep quite about what Sammy said next. He had been sitting close enough to her to hear what she whispered.  
  
"No kidding you'd be dead. You can't get saved if there's no one to save you. And you were the only one still alive to finish your battle with Galaxia…" Sammy stopped speaking immediately. He hadn't realized what he had said until it was too late. His parents and Rini had looks of pure fear and horror on their faces. 'Serena must have never told Rini.' He thought. Then he saw tears appearing in Rini's eyes, and then she threw her arms around Serena and sobbed softly. That proved it. Serena and Luna gave him looks of anger and betrayal, and then Serena began comforting Rini.  
  
"Rini, it's okay. It's okay." She said softly, holding the little girl close. "We're okay now. Everyone came back. Everyone is okay now. I know that you wish you could have helped, but it would have been too dangerous for you. I don't want to lose you, Small Lady."  
  
Serena's parents simply watched the scene. They had never seen Serena and Rini act like this, Rini rarely cried, and why was she so upset?  
  
"Serena…ho…how….many times have you been se…seriously hurt?" Her mother asked, barely able to get the words out.  
  
"Mom…please not now." Serena said. Her eyes glanced down at the still crying Rini, hinting at her mother that she didn't want Rini crying anymore. "Anyway, we aren't quite done yet. I assume that you guys must be wondering how Rini ties into all this? Why she's *Mini* Moon, and why she's crying like this."  
  
Serena's parents surprised themselves by nodding. In truth, they hadn't been really concerned about Rini; they had sort of forgotten about her. But now they were overwhelmed with curiosity.   
  
"Rini…can you?" Serena said to Rini. Rini nodded and stood up, and then she wiped away her tears. Serena stood right behind her. "Rini comes from the future. The thirtieth century to be exact."  
  
Serena's parents gasped. They had expected her to say a number of things but not this. They were defiantly not prepared for what was to follow.  
  
Serena and Rini both concentrated on letting their royal power overtake them. With crescent moons blazing, Serena and Rini stood in identical princess dresses. Then Rini stepped forward. Her mother had taught her the speech that she was supposed to use when introducing herself in this form, so she took a moment to remember it all. She took in a deep breath and began.  
  
"I am Crown Princess Serenity of Crystal Tokyo, also known as Small Lady. I am the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity of the White Moon and King Endymion of the Earth, rulers of Crystal Tokyo. " She ended her speech with a small curtsy, then got up to see the reaction. Ikuko and Kenji were just staring at her with their mouths open, looking totally surprised. Ikuko was the first to speak.  
  
"Qu…Queen Serenity? But I thought that you said she was dead?"  
  
"Mom," Serena started, "I said that Queen Serenity was dead. I never mentioned Neo-Queen Serenity. That's because…I'm her. Mom, Dad, Rini is my daughter."  
  
"What!" her father screamed. He did not like this one bit.  
  
"Dad, listen to me. Rini is me and Darien's daughter."  
  
"WHAT!!!" Her father was screaming now. He had never really liked Darien, and now he and Serena had a child! "I'm going to…" he stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw Rini's face. She looked…scared. More scared then she already was, and she looked like she was about ready to start crying again. So he just sat back down, and resolved to remain silent for a little while. However, he would be having a little talk with his daughter later.  
  
"She comes form the *future*, Daddy. The thirtieth century actually." Then Serena detransformed, so that Serena stood there, not Sailor Moon or Princess Serena, but Serena herself. Rini did the same. "Honestly," Serena began, with a smile on her face, but she sobered quickly. She decided that right now wasn't the time for jokes. More for reassurance. "Mom, Dad, I will always love you, no matter what. No one could take your place."  
  
Serena's mother smiled. She knew that this all must be hard on her. But Serena had done the right thing. She was a bit surprised about Rini, but she had always felt much closer to her then just an Aunt. 'A *grandmother*' she thought, and felt a bit old. "So you're my granddaughter?" she said.  
  
"Yup," Rini replied, and climbed onto her grandmother's lap, which was what Ikuko had been hopping for. Ikuko wrapped her arms around Rini, giving her a hug.  
  
Serena smiled at the scene, it was nice to see the youngest and oldest generations of her family getting along so well. Then she turned to her father. "Daddy?" she said, rather quietly.  
  
"Are you positive that she comes from the that she comes from the future?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm positive."  
  
"The 30th century?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So she won't be born until the 30th century."  
  
"As far as we know."  
  
"And she is the oldest child?"  
  
"Yes. Actually only child."  
  
Then Kenji smiled. That was the answer he was hoping for. He didn't like the fact that she had a whole other life that had been kept a secret, but she had taken care of it well. So he turned to Rini, and opened his arms. Rini took the hint and jumped into them, and received a big hug. She sat on his lap then, knowing that another explanation was ahead, and this one she may have to take part in. But right now, she just allowed herself to be cuddled. 'I never had grandparent's before,' she thought. 'I'm glad we told them, and I wish we told them sooner.'  
  
"I guess I should explain Crystal Tokyo." Serena said. Both her parents nodded. Serena took a deep breath and began. "I don't know much about the future. Actually, I know very little. We were never supposed to be told, and shouldn't find out any more then we have to. We know that something is going to happen to the Earth and put it into an eternal sleep. Basically, the Earth will be frozen. Then I will use the Empirium Silver Crystal and reawaken the Earth. Darien and I will then rise to the throne, like we were supposed to do during the Silver Millennium. The world will be filled with peace. We aren't sure of the date that Rini will be born. And we can't find out for two reason – one is that Rini is forbidden to tell us, and obeys because if she doesn't, she could badly hurt the future. And two is that if we badger Rini to tell us, then we get a stern lecture from Pluto. And *no* one wants that." Serena smiled, remembering some of the lectures from Pluto she had received. "Rini has been back a few times, the first when she was five. You guys thought that she had come the summer before, but that was just a cover. Don't get mad at Rini for brainwashing you. She was five and scared. I don't blame her." 'Now' Serena thought. She noticed Rini looking kind of embarrassed, thinking about what she had done, so Serena figured that she had better give an explanation for what had happened. "An enemy had attacked Crystal Tokyo, and Neo-Queen Serenity had been trapped. Rini had been sent into the past for a few reasons. She needed to get the silver crystal to save her mother in the future, and she needed to warn me. The enemy had come from the future into the past to try and capture Rini, so Rini needed to be protected by the Sailor Scouts. If they got her, they could take control. So brainwashing was just a way for you guys to let her stay here. After all, would you have let her in if she just showed up and asked you if she could stay here? It was just for safety."  
  
Serena stopped for a moment, letting it all sink in. She had never realized all that had happened. She decided to leave the whole 'I went to the future thing' till later. There was more to get through now.  
  
"Rini came back shortly after my fifteenth birthday. She needed training as a Sailor Scout, and Queen Serenity also wanted her to have a normal childhood. We have had some…err…*problems*, but everything has gotten better, right?" Serena was looking at Rini when she spoke, and waited for a response. Rini nodded, and so Serena continued. "But I think that Rini might have lost that normal childhood thing…"  
  
Rini face became one of horror, but before she could respond, Ikuko spoke.  
  
"So…how do you know so much about the future?" she asked.  
  
"We went." Serena replied. "In order to help Rini, we needed to go into the future. King Endymion explained *almost* everything to us. He had to leave somethings out. Serenity would have helped, but she was trapped. The enemy tried to attack her, but the scouts encased her in crystal before she could be hurt. Endymion is also the one who told Darien and I that we were Rini's parents. Any other questions?"  
  
Serena's mother had a few she still wanted to ask, but she had a feeling they would be answered later. Both her parents shook their heads.  
  
"Okay," Serena began. She was about to say something that she never wanted to ever have to say. She turned to look at Rini, but not in the eyes, she just couldn't do that. "Rini, I think that the safest thing for you to do is…" Serena didn't get to finish her sentence. Rini had already jumped out of her grandfather's lap and was standing up straight, trying to appear tall.  
  
"I won't leave!" She screamed, but not to loudly. She didn't want people to think that she was just a child. But she had to make her point known. "I am not going home just yet! I don't want to leave yet! I want to stay here!"  
  
"But Rini, your mother sent you here so you would have a normal childhood. Now that everyone knows, you can't have a normal childhood anymore."  
  
"I don't have a normal childhood in Crystal Tokyo! There I'm a princess, and an heir to the throne! At least here I'm only a Sailor Scout!"  
  
The others just stood back and watched. They had seen Serena and Rini fight before but never like this. Even Luna who had seen Serena's fights before didn't want to get involved in this one. Each of them understood that this was between Serena and Rini.  
  
"Rini, there you have guards who can protect you so that you don't get hurt! And you can be trained better as a princess and a scout there! It's safer Rini!"  
  
"I'm in as much danger of getting hurt there as here! And my guards are the same Sailor Scouts that we have here! And I don't even need any guards! I can protect myself!"  
  
"Rini, your safety is all that matters right now! If you can go where it's safer, you should!"  
  
"I…am…not…leaving! Don't you get it Serena! If I leave now, I can never come back! And I am not leaving the scouts!"  
  
"But Rini…"  
  
"Serena, NO! And you can't make me go! I have the crystal key, not you! No one here can force me to go! And I won't leave! What if something happens and you get hurt!"  
  
"What if *you* get hurt? Rini, I don't want anything to happen to you!"  
  
"And I…I don't want anything to happen to you or…or Darien! Serena, please…PLEASE don't make me go!" Tears were beginning to run down Rini's face. She truly didn't want to leave.  
  
'Oh, Rini.' Serena thought. "I don't want you to go either. I'd miss you way too much. But I really don't want you to get hurt either."  
  
"Serena," Rini said, moving in to give her a hug, "I won't get hurt. I might not be able to promise that, but I can try. Please, trust me."  
  
Rini gave Serena one of those looks that just made her heart melt. She forgot all her resolutions to be strong and stand firm, and just gave in. "Alright," she said, looking in Rini in the eye. "I'll let you stay only if Queen Serenity says that it'll be okay."  
  
This puzzled everyone. Even Luna couldn't figure out how Serena was planning on talking to Queen Serenity. She didn't have a time key, so she couldn't travel into the future to speak with her, and Pluto wouldn't allow it anyway.  
  
Rini was about to say what Luna was thinking, but then she saw the twinkle in Serena's eye. "Ohhh…." Rini said, and ran up stairs. She knew her mother well enough to tell what she was thinking, and had a fairly good idea what Serena wanted to do. Rini reached her room and grabbed a few sheets of her favorite paper (the paper that Serena had given her for her birthday – it was pink with little bunnies in the corner) and went back down stairs.  
  
Sammy, Luna and Serena's parents were still staring at Serena when Rini entered the room. None had even a clue of what she was planning, and all Serena did was smile. Despite her confusion, Luna felt extremely proud of Serena. She had never seen Serena so calm when she knew how much Serena just wanted to break down and cry. When Rini entered the room carrying the paper, Luna understood what Serena was planning.  
  
"Serena, what are you doing?" Her mother asked her. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what her daughter was planning.   
  
Serena and Luna were seated at the table again with Rini between them before Serena replied. "Mom, what is the best way to communicate with someone that you can't directly talk to? We're writing a letter to send to Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. They will give us a *bit* of advice."  
  
Serena, Rini, and Luna went back to writing the letter. Sammy and their parents moved in to see what they were writing. They noticed that although the letter was being written to ask for advice, Rini couldn't resist adding her own touches. After quite a few minutes, Rini pronounced the letter done, and she went back upstairs to find a matching envelop. The finished letter read:  
  
Dearest Mommy and Daddy,  
  
How are you? How's Crystal Tokyo and the Scouts? Hope everything is okay. I would fill you in on the gossip, but Serena is right here (This got an angry glare from Serena as Rini wrote it), so I'll write you another letter later to fill you in. But I guess you already know all of it. I'm actually writing this letter for a reason. Mommy, Daddy, something horrible has happened. Everyone knows that we are the Sailor Scouts. It was in the paper. We are really scared. What should we do? Serena thought that maybe I should go home, because it'll be safer in Crystal Tokyo. But I don't want to go home, not yet. Is it okay if I stay a bit longer? I'll understand if you say no. You guys were here, so what is supposed are we supposed to do? Is this how it happened with you guys? Or did we change the future? Please answer me soon! All of us are waiting for your reply. Love you lots.  
Your favorite girl,  
  
Small Lady Rini ^.^  
  
P.S. Serena and Luna say Hi.  
  
"Small Lady?" Kenji asked.  
  
"It's the nickname Rini was given in Crystal Tokyo." Serena replied. "Everyone there calls her that."  
  
"Got the envelope!" Rini yelled, running down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed the letter and placed it inside the envelope. Then she took out her crystal key. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino gasped. They had never seen a key like that; you could almost feel the magic radiating off it. She held both the letter and the key high in the air and chanted the phrase to make the key work.  
  
"Crystal Key! Take this letter to Mommy and Daddy! And HURRY!" Rini yelled. Then a pink cloud appeared right above the letter and took it. "Pluto, make sure that it gets to Mommy and Daddy as fast as possible!"  
  
Sammy, Kenji, and Ikuko were still staring at where the cloud had appeared and disappeared. They had seen quite a lot, especially in the last hour, but they still couldn't believe what they had just seen. Serena, Luna, and Rini all knew that expression – complete and utter amassment. Serena decided that they had other things to do, so they could get them done while they waited for her parents and Sammy to break out of their trances.   
  
"Okay, Rini, could you watch the fans from the upstairs window. We need to have a rough number of how many people and reporters are outside. I already know that there are quite a few already (the sound of them had been there for quite a while, and the sound of the doorbell ringing, pounding on the door, and the people themselves were beginning to get on her nerves), but we need to know if we should install a metal door to keep them out. Oh, and since Sammy is finally out of his trance, take him with you. In the meantime, I am going to go talk to the other girls. I'm sure that they have already talked to there families, and we need a good strategy. Luna, you come with me. And someone call me if we get a response from Crystal Tokyo." With that said, Serena started toward the living room, with Luna on her heals. She settled on the couch as she heard Rini and Sammy running upstairs. Serena then took out her communicator (they had had to unplug their phone so that the ringing would stop). She then pressed the button with the sign of Mercury on it. "Amy, come in…"  
  
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First chapter (if you don't count prologue) done. Next chapter - rest of the scouts. Sorry to the people who like the everyone-finds-out-and-Serena-runs-away stories, but this isn't one of them. Actually, I was never going to even write this, because I thought that it was a really dumb idea that there wasn't a huge problem when they told their parents. But then I read "Spring Break" by Aiko (read it at A Sailor Moon Romance - does anyone know if she ever finished it), and she had them tell their parents in a way where no one ran away, and no one was "disowned". That gave me the courage to write this. Although, I understand that most people prefer those kind of stories, and I hope that you will still at least review my story. Thanks a ton for listening to my ramblings. Next chapter will be out soon. 


	3. Chapter Two

Hey guys! Next chapter is now up. I was having some trouble figuring out how to put up new chapters, but I think I understand now. Anyway, I decided to put Serena's explanation in one chapter, and put the rest of the scouts in another. Thank you to the people who are reading this, I'm glad that you haven't given up on me:)  
  
Oh, people, I need help! I'm trying to find a place to download the subtitled Japenese Sailor Moon episodes, but i can't find any places:( If you know of any, please tell me. Thankz:)  
  
Oh, and I keep forgeting to put in the disclaimer, so for this story, the one in the prologue applies everywhere.  
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"Mom?" Amy said, looking into the kitchen.   
  
"Good morning, sweetheart." Her mother said appearing behind her. Amy turned around and greeted her with what looked like a fake smile. She noticed that Amy's expression was a fairly surprised and worried one. Ms. Mizuno assumed though that Amy was just surprised to see her mother getting up so late. She figured that she should give an explanation. "You know, it's been awhile since I had Sunday off. It's kind of nice."  
  
Amy seemed a little more relieved, but that worried look stayed on her face. Ms. Mizuno started to feel worried herself. She had seen Amy worried before, but usually she would be right now running out to see her friends. Or Amy would have already talked to her. She had been fine last night. Now, she looked almost like the fate of the world was on her shoulders. And why was she holding…the paper? "Amy, honey, what's the matter?"  
  
Amy gathered up all the strength she had. 'Why should I be so scared now?' she thought. 'I have faced worse. I've looked death in the face many times; I have even died before. My mother is a very understanding woman, I'm sure that she will understand why I waited to tell her. Ohhh, I wish I had a guardian like Luna or Artemis.' "Mom, we need to talk. Can we sit down?"  
  
Ms. Mizuno became very concerned. Amy voice contained so much fear that she herself became afraid just listening to Amy speak. She knew that what Amy was about to say was extremely important, and now, more then ever, she would probably need to be open-minded.  
  
Amy led her mother to the kitchen table, and sat down. Her mother followed her and sat down at the seat on the opposite side of the table.  
  
"Mom," Amy began. "To be perfectly honest, I never wanted to have to tell you this. Or if I did decide to, I would rather it have been of my own free will. But circumstances beyond my control have forced me to have to tell you. Please, don't be mad. I'll understand if you are upset about me not telling you sooner, but doing so would have put all of my friends and I in considerable danger, mush like we are in now." Amy paused, not sure if she wanted to continue. She looked up into her mother's eyes and saw that they were filled with worry. Amy realized that her mother wouldn't be mad at her, maybe even more worried, but not mad. "Mom, I am Sailor Mercury."  
  
"Honey…what do you mean?" Surely her daughter was joking. The Sailor Scouts were just a myth, a story that people would tell.  
  
Amy passed the newspaper article over to her mother. Ms. Mizuno began to read, and became more shocked then she had ever been in her whole life. She thought that she knew every thing about her daughter, something this important, Amy couldn't hide from her, could she? "Amy, is this…" Ms. Mizuno began, but she wasn't able to finish. What she saw before her shocked her to her very core.  
  
While her mother was reading, Amy decided that she should prove to her mother what they were saying was true. She silently transformed, so that it could be a bit of a surprise. She saw how her mother looked, and recognized that expression quickly. It was the same look that she had on her face after she found out that she was Sailor Mercury. She decided that a bit of an introduction was in order. "I am Sailor Mercury, Solider of Wisdom and Ice! I vow to protect this world with all my power!"  
  
"Amy," Ms. Mizuno began. "Are you…are you really…"  
  
"Yes mom, I am."  
  
"H-How?"  
  
"Fate. I was predestined to be Sailor Mercury, so I am. I cannot turn my back on this, for I have seen what can happen if the scouts lose. We need all the strength we can get, so I don't dare ever desert the scouts. This is my duty, to protect this world." Her mother appeared to have relaxed a bit, so Amy felt a little bit calmer. "Mom, I *am* sorry that I had to keep this a secret from you, but I *do* hope that you can understand. I had to. Telling you would not only put you in danger, but the others as well."  
  
"Amy, I…I…I have never been more proud of you then I am right now, as well as I am starting to understand a few things. Like why you didn't go to study in Germany."  
  
"I couldn't." Amy said with a smile. "We were just starting a new battle with a new enemy, and leaving would have meant allowing the scouts to lose. In fact, by the time I decided not to go, the scouts had nearly lost. We need the powers from all of us to defeat the enemy, besides, without me, they would have no clue how to escape sometimes." Amy almost started laughing. She remembered what Raye had said after Amy decided not to leave – 'Amy, it's a good thing that you're back. Serena was actually expected to think and plan how to win the battles. If you hadn't come, I think that we would have been in that battle forever.'  
  
"So, Amy, how do you help them in a way none of the others can?"  
  
"Well, besides the fact that I control ice, which is a very powerful defense, I have this," Amy made her visor appear. "and this." Amy took out her mini computer. "Now, my visor allows me to see things that no one else can. I can see through buildings, and tell if a monster is disguising it's self as an object or person. I can also do some simple calculations, but not good ones. The harder ones are done on my mini computer. It'll hook up to my visor to allow me to use all that my visor is capable of. This computer, despite it's size, can do more then even the most powerful computer on Earth. I can do calculations that would take even the smartest mathematician weeks to do in only a few minutes at the most. This little computer is usually what decides whether we win on lose."  
  
'So…where can I buy one of these computers?" Both Amy and her mother started laughing. Amy became completely relaxed. She had been worried that her mother would over-react, maybe even force her to leave the scouts. Or not believe her. It was nice to see that her mother could handle this, even though she hadn't been told everything. Amy decided then to detransform. It felt a bit weird being Sailor Mercury while in plan view of her mother anyway.  
  
"So," her mother said, starting her long list of questions again. "How long have you been a scout? Do you really like being a scout? Have you ever been hurt? If so, how badly? What about the other girls? And what is it that you aren't telling me?" Ms. Mizuno didn't expect an answer from the last question, but she knew that she had to at least ask.  
  
"Okay, I have been a scout since I was 14" 'actually longer' she thought. 'But I won't tell her about that.' "I really do enjoy being a scout, sometimes. But every now and then I wish that I was just a normal teenage girl. I have been hurt before, but I won't tell you how badly. I don't think that you could deal with that. The other girls have been hurt just as badly, and Serena has been hurt worse. And what I am not telling you is important, but I won't tell you until you need to find out. It would put Serena in way too much danger." Amy face was firm when she finished. She was defiantly not going to tell her mother about the past.  
  
"Amy, please, I can handle it. I am a doctor. How…badly…have…you…been…hurt?" Her mother's face showed that she could take it, although secretly she was thinking 'it can't have been too bad, since Amy seems okay, and she's right in front of me."  
  
"I…I…I have died. That's the worst that I have been hurt physically. Watching my friends die, or surrender themselves to protect us, hurts even more."  
  
"But…But Amy, that isn't possible. You can't have died. You seem fine, and you are sitting right here, in front of me. If you were dead, you wouldn't be here."  
  
"Mom, Serena has an extremely powerful crystal called the Empirium Silver Crystal. I think that it is responsible for keeping us from dieing forever. I think that the Silver Crystal, combined with Serena's powers, is what brings us back from the dead."  
  
"How…how many…"  
  
"3 times, I think, but I have been near dead a few times as well."  
  
"And you said Serena has been hurt worse? Is that even possible?"  
  
"She has died as many times as us, I think. Maybe more, maybe less. We all prefer to forget those memories. What has hurt her more is seeing us die, trying to protect her. Or seeing us, especially Tuxedo Mask and Rini, being hurt when there is nothing that she can do. I can't tell you why we have to protect her though, and if you are trying to guess, I can tell you that you will never figure out. Even us scouts didn't know until it happened. Serena isn't just Sailor Moon; she is someone else as well. And we must protect that person."  
  
"Amy…"  
  
"I love you too, Mom. And I promise that I will always do my best to be careful."  
  
Amy moved over to wear her mother was sitting to give her a hug. When they broke apart, Ms. Mizuno decided to ask a question that she was dieing to ask. "Can we take a look at that super computer?"  
  
Amy laughed a bit, and then reached into her space pocket to take it out. She flipped it open and began showing her mother all it could do. They were intently examining one of the programs when Amy's watch started beeping. She flipped open the cover to reveal Serena's face. Ms. Mizuno looked curiously at the watch, but decided to ask about it later. "Serena, what is it? What happened?"   
  
"Everything's fine Ames. I just wanted to know if you had finished explaining?"  
  
"Almost, just a second."  
  
Amy had completely forgetting someone that she should tell, even though he already knew. She ran to her computer, and typed in a few simple words. All that the message read was 'They know.' She knew that he would understand. He would have seen this coming.  
  
"Okay, done. Just had to tell someone else."  
  
"Good then I'll get the other girls." Serena pressed the button on her communicator to get the others. "Are you guys all done explaining too?"  
  
*****  
  
Mina crept down the stairs to the kitchen with Artemis on her heals. She didn't totally want to face her parents, since she doubted that they would understand. At least she had Artemis to help her.  
  
As she neared the kitchen, she heard the sound of people talking, except they weren't her parents. Mina and Artemis both tried to detect what the voices were saying. Then they heard the voice say "…how long the Sailor Scouts planned to keep this a secret". Both became more panicked then they already were, if that was even possible. Mina was holding the newspaper. 'So how else could they know? We don't have a T.V. in the kitchen' she thought 'only a…' Mina and Artemis both mouthed the same word, 'radio', to each other. Neither had planed on her parents finding out another way, and Mina planned on telling them herself. She hadn't wanted for her parents to find out from the media, but it looked like she didn't have a choice now. Mina took a deep breath, picked up Artemis, and stepped into the kitchen.  
  
"Mina!" Both her parents exclaimed. Neither had figured on her being down so early on a Sunday, and, if what they were saying on the radio was true, then wouldn't she be in hiding?  
  
"Minako," Mrs. Aino started. "Is it…is it true…what…what they are saying?"  
  
Mina shuttered silently at being called Minako. It was her full name, but it was only now used when she was in big trouble, or when her parents wanted to know something. Mina gathered up her courage. 'If Serena can tell her parents about her past, her future, Darien and Rini, then I can tell my parents that I'm Sailor Venus. I wonder if they'll be able to take Artemis though?' "Yes," she responded, although it was easy to tell that she didn't want to. "I am Sailor Venus."  
  
"No!" Her father said, jumping out of his chair. "That is impossible. You aren't a superhero, you are a boy-crazy teenage girl."  
  
"Show them." Artemis whispered, loud enough only enough for Mina to here. He jumped out of her arms to give her room to transform, and nodded.  
  
"Venus Crystal Power!"   
  
Mr. and Mrs. Aino gasped as their daughter changed from being Mina to Sailor Venus. "I am Sailor Venus, Soldier of Everything Beautiful and Love!" Mina began. "With the power of Venus, I will stop the enemy from destroying our beautiful world and making it theirs!"  
  
"Mina…" her mother began, "how long…how long…"  
  
"Well, I was Sailor V before I was Sailor Venus. I became Sailor V when we were in England, and I was thirteen. It was when I found Artemis. He is the one that gave me the power to become a Sailor Scout…"  
  
"Now *that* is *impossible*! Artemis is only a cat! A stray! He can't give you any powers!"  
  
Artemis, like Luna, was trained to have self-control, but he was a bit, okay, a lot, more impulsive then Luna. And when he heard Mr. Aino call him a stray, he decided to voice his opinion.   
  
"I am not *just* a cat and a stray," he began. Both Mr. and Mrs. Aino gasped. Mina giggled softly. Artemis was always teaching her to have more self-control, and yet he was the one who couldn't keep his big mouth shut. "I am a guardian and advisor. And I most certainly did give her her powers. Who else could? Luna is the only other guardian, and she is the one who gave the other scouts, except for the outers, their powers. I am one of the trainers of the scouts, and I have taught Mina nearly everything she knows. Just a cat, indeed!"  
  
Mina was about to double over laughing, but one look at the fear on her parents faces made her straighten up and set her mouth in firm line. "When we were leaving for England, Artemis found out that the other scouts had met and joined up. All they needed was Venus to complete the inner scouts. We hadn't needed the Venus power before, so Artemis never gave it to me. Before he had given me the much less powerful Sailor V form. But he gave me the Venus power before I met the others. Since then 'Venus power' has become 'Venus Star Power', and now it's the extremely powerful 'Venus Crystal Power'. Of course, my powers are much stronger if combined with those of the other scouts, but that doesn't matter."  
  
"Mina," her father said, much calmer then before. "How can you stand this? How do you deal with having a secret that you never told? Better yet, how did you manage to keep this a secret? You can't keep the fact that you fail a test a secret!"  
  
"The only reason I can stand this is that I have Artemis to talk to, as well as the other scouts. And Artemis has given me enough lectures on keeping my scout life a secret, that's how I managed to keep it a secret. And after a while, it becomes natural, having a part of your life that you can't talk to others about. It isn't a game, our lives depends on this secret. And now that everyone knows…."  
  
"Why didn't tell us before, Mina? We would have understood." Her mother asked.  
  
"I couldn't. Telling you would have meant putting the scouts, especially Serena and Rini, Artemis, Luna, myself, and you in danger. It was just too big of a risk. Someone might have over heard, and it would be just like what is happening now. I don't think you could have understood, or at least been okay with it. Lucky, the fights are becoming rarer, and less difficult. Some of the battles, especially the final ones with that enemy, were so awful that I've tried to forget them. I could barely handle what had happened in that battle when it was over." Mina shuttered, remembering the battle with Galaxia. Both her parents gave each other a look, asking each other silently if they should ask her what had happened. Mrs. Aino looked over at Artemis, silently asking him if he thought they should ask her. Mrs. Aino could tell that Artemis and Mina shared an extremely strong bond, and if anyone knew whether she should be questioned on something or not, it would be him. But Artemis shook his head. It had been hard enough to get Mina to talk to him about it. He remembered her telling him how scared she was, seeing her friends die, dying herself, knowing that Serena, completely alone, would have to defeat Galaxia when no one else could. And since Serena was weakened, the Silver Crystal *would* kill her, and Mina couldn't help her. Finally, the fear that this time, they might have truly failed, and they wouldn't be given a second chance. He didn't want her to have to bring back those memories. Not yet.  
  
"So, Mina," her father said. He saw how sad and scared Mina was becoming. She was obviously remembering a past battle that she didn't like, and despite his curiosity, he couldn't ask her. So he decided to just find out some more information about her being Sailor Venus. "What *exactly* are your powers? You said something about being the soldier of everything beautiful and love? What does that mean?"  
  
For once, Mina was glad to be questioned. It allowed her to focus her mind on something and forget about Galaxia's battle. "Well, my powers differ with each new transformation. Like the rest, my attacks are energy, although the Love Chain is fairly close to a physical attack. My attacks are also mostly made of gold and Venus power. And," Mina faced her parents with a smile and flipped her hair back with one hand, "I am *technically* the Goddess of Love."   
  
"Ohhh, puh-lease!" Artemis muttered under his breath  
  
Mina bent down and picked Artemis up, squeezing him slightly, and made his face face hers. "Say something, *Arty*?"  
  
"Oh, nothing." He replied, shuttering at the *awful* nickname Mina used.   
  
Mr. and Mrs. Aino found themselves silently laughing at the scene in front of them. Mina turned to face them and smiled, then dropped Artemis, and detransformed from Sailor Venus to Mina. Then Mina ran over to wear her parents sat, and gave them both a hug. "I am *so* glad that you guys are okay with this." Her parents both returned the hug; they too were glad that they were okay with this, more or less.  
  
Artemis watched this scene happily. He had heard Mina's silent panicking when they found out about having to tell her parents, and was glad that she was calmer now. Unfortunately, he knew that he would be soon experience the disadvantage of being a talking cat. Neither of Mina's parents wanted to ask Mina any questions that would make her upset, or force her to bring back painful memories. So instead they would ask the only other person that would know. Him. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'A guardian's work is never done.' "Well," Artemis said, speaking loudly enough so that Mina and her parents could here him. "I think that we should all take a look at that newspaper article, as well as see what they are saying about the scouts on the television and radio. We need to know *exactly* what everyone else does. We can't afford a slip and reveal something that we shouldn't. We all must be extremely careful."  
  
"You're right Artemis. I'll watch the T.V. and see what it says." Mina turned towards her parents. "Could you two read the article and listen to the news?" Mina gave them one of her personal favorite looks, one that neither of her parents could say 'no' too.   
  
"Mina, I'm coming with you!" Artemis yelled, running after Mina into the living room. "I'm going to make sure that you stick to the news. There are going to be no music video breaks!"  
  
While her parents were in the kitchen, discussing what they had learned, and what they had heard on the radio and read in the paper, Mina was flipping to all the T.V. stations to see the Sailor Scout News. Oddly enough, it didn't surprise her one bit that almost all the regular shows were canceled. Almost all the channels now showed the news, featuring the Sailor Scouts. And it was extremely hard to watch all the channels, so Mina just went through and picked out her favorites and popped between them. Artemis thought she had picked those because they were the most informative, but, in truth, Mina had picked them because they had the best pictures of them, especially her. And because they had the cutest reporters.  
  
She had been watching the news for a while when her watched beeped. It was quiet enough that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Aino heard it, but Mina and Artemis both did. Mina flipped open the cover to reveal Amy and Serena's faces.  
  
"Hey girls," she said. "What's going on?"  
  
"Are you guys all done explaining too?" Serena said.  
  
Mina noticed that the other girls had also joined the conversation.  
  
"I am already finished." Amy said.  
  
"Ditto." Mina replied.  
  
*****  
  
"Grandpa?" Raye said quietly, opening the back door into the garden. She had seen him go out, and decided to follow him, since she might as well tell him now instead of waiting. Although, he might already know. He is the one who taught her to read fire, or at least to develop her talents. So it *is* possible that he saw her as Sailor Mars, and has just decided to let her tell him. 'That might be why he leaves me alone when I'm with my friends doing a fire reading.'  
  
Raye spotted her grandpa sitting on a bench near the cherry tree. "Grandpa, we need to talk." Raye said, approaching him.  
  
"I know." He responded. He knew what she would be talking about. He had seen it when she was a little girl. They were doing a fire reading, and he saw the image of her as Sailor Mars.  
  
"You…you know? But how? Umm, how much do you know?" Raye was a little surprised, even though part of her expected this.  
  
"I can see the fire too. I have known since you were young what your fate would be. I also knew that I wouldn't need to warn you, for you are a strong fighter and will be all right. But I haven't seen you as a Sailor Scout. So please, show me how you become one. Show me how you become Mars."  
  
Raye smiled. She was glad that her explanation would be a lot easier then Amy, Mina, and Serena's. 'Actually, *everybody's* explanations are easier then Serena's.' Raye held her hand into the air. "Mars Crystal Power!" Raye let that familiar feeling of fire wash over her, and wear Raye once stood, now stood Super Sailor Mars. "I am Sailor Mars, Solider of Fire and Soul! In the name of Mars, I will destroy their evil plot!"  
  
Raye's grandpa smiled. Raye looked so at peace in her Sailor form. And you could almost feel the power radiating from her. "Well, you are defiantly more power then I would have expected. You also appear different then the vision I first saw of you. Why is that?"  
  
"Because this isn't my original form. Originally, my transformation was Mars Power. Later, I was given Mars Star Power. It was the same outfit, but I was ten times more powerful. This is my most recent transformation, even though I was given it a while ago. It's referred to as the 'Super' form. As you might have also guessed, my attacks all deal with fire. I would love to demonstrate, but I would rather not burn down the temple." Both of them laughed at this. Raye handed her grandpa the paper and detransformed. It still didn't feel normal to be transformed while in someone else's presence.   
  
"Well," her grandpa began. "They certainly managed to get plenty of information on you girls, huh? I still have a hard time believing that your friend Serena is the leader. She doesn't seem like the…err…*leader* type."  
  
Raye started laughing. She didn't believe that Serena was the leader type either when they first met. Although Serena had proven herself over the years, Raye still teased her about being to ditzy to be a leader. But both knew that Raye did that only because she wanted Serena to achieve her full potential, and the teasing made her work harder. Raye managed to control her laughing long enough to answer. "I didn't think that she was the leader-type when I became a scout. But she has proven herself."  
  
"Well, I'm sure that she has. It seems that she has grown up quite a bit. Now, your battles, how tough have they been?"  
  
"Why?" she didn't really *want* to tell him. Some of her battles she had been trying to forget. Especially the one with Galaxia. Dying is something that you usually don't want to remember.  
  
"Because I want to know how badly you have been hurt. I need to know. Please, I can take it."  
  
Raye thought about this for a moment. Telling him would mean not only bringing pack painful memories, but also having to tell him them. 'Tell him!' said a little voice inside of her. She knew that she should. So Raye started to sort though memories, trying to decide which to use. "Well, sometimes I loose consciousness, maybe cut up a bit. The worst though…"  
  
"Raye, you can tell me."  
  
"The worst would be dying, or actually, watching my friends die. My death has always been to protect the others, but to see my friends die, and I know I can't do anything. That hurts more then anything ever could…" tears had begun to gather in her eyes, but Raye forced herself not to cry. Now was not the time to act like a child.  
  
"Raye, how many times have you died?" her grandpa had kept the same steady the entire time they were talking. That surprised Raye a bit, but she was thankful, for it made this easier.   
  
"3 times. The first I can't talk about, you will found out one day, when it is needed. The second time was in our battle with Beryl, that evil witch. The third was in our battle with…our battle with Galaxia. That one was the worst. We all nearly lost for good. At least the second time Beryl was defeated before we all died. Serena, with our sprits help, defeated her once and for all. But with Galaxia, all the scouts except Serena were dead, both the inner and outer scouts. And Serena was already weakened so much, she was even dead for a short period of time, but was given a second chance. It is *still* a miracle that we won, and were all brought back from the dead."  
  
"Yes, you girls are very fortunate. It is good to see that I need not worry about you too much. You are very strong and powerful," her grandpa came over to her and hugged her. "and I know that you can protect yourself better then anyone else can."  
  
"Raye!" A voice called in the distance. Raye stood up and turned around. She saw Chad running towards her quickly. 'Oh man,' she thought. 'I didn't want to tell *him* yet! Ohhh, I knew that this was turning out to be too easy.'  
  
"Raye!" Chad shouted again, now only 30 feet away…20 feet…10 feet. Now he was standing right next to her, looking deeply concerned. "Raye…Raye…Raye what's going on?"  
  
"Chad," Raye began, a bit scared, mostly of what he would think. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her Grandpa moving towards the temple, that way Raye could do the explaining. She wasn't sure if she should thank him or call back. She took a deep breath, and gathered her thoughts to explain her being a Sailor Scout. "IwantedtotellyoubutIcouldn'titwouldhavebeentodangerousandIdidn'twantyoutogethurtI*am*sorry."Raye took a deep breath. She had said that as quickly as possible, hoping that it would be okay. One look in his face told Raye that he hadn't understood what she said at all. "Chad, I am *so, so, so* sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I couldn't. It would have been too dangerous, for you and me and the others. Do you understand?" Raye's pleading look made accept the apology in an instant. The truth was, he wasn't expecting an apology; he actually hadn't believed what the article had said. Chad had figured that it had all been a joke, but surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to picture her as Sailor Mars. Using fire as an attack – definitely Raye. One look in her eyes told him that she needed some comforting, obviously she was scared. He pulled her in for a hug, and they just stood there. He could almost feel the fear radiating off her. There seemed to be something else, he could see it in her eyes. Could it be…guilt?  
  
Raye pulled away from him, after having stood there for nearly five minutes. "Chad…do you want to hear the whole story?" She asked the question in almost a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to the steps of the shrine and sat down.  
  
"Okay," she said, sitting down next to him. "Well, I was the third scout to found by Luna, after Serena and Amy…" She told him everything about her scout life in this life. How she protected Serena (but she said it was only because she was her leader), about the battles she had fought, and all the other tidbits that she thought were relevant.   
  
'Wow,' Chad thought to himself as Raye was finishing, 'I have the coolest girlfriend!' Noticing that Raye was done, he decided to ask something that he had wanted to ask. "So…can I see you transform?"  
  
Raye just smiled, glad that he was being so understanding. She pulled out her transformation pen.  
  
"Mars Crystal Power!" Raye let the fire wash over her for the second time today. "I am Sailor Mars, Solider of Fire and Soul!"  
  
Chad looked speechless. He hadn't expected Raye to look so…hot, both figuratively and literally. The only word he could utter was "Wow."  
  
Raye decided that there wasn't really anything left to discuss, so she detransformed. Her communicator started beeping which got her attention. Chad seemed to understand, even though Raye said nothing, and went inside. Raye headed over to her room to answer the call. She flipped open the watch, and saw Serena's face. She also noticed that all the rest of the girls had joined the conversation as well.   
  
"Hey," Serena said, trying to be cheerful, but obviously scared to death. "Are you guys all done explaining too?"  
  
"I am already finished." Amy said.  
  
"Ditto." Mina replied.  
  
"I'm done." Raye said.  
  
*****  
  
Lita sighed as she closed her communicator. All the other girls were going to tell their families the secret that everyone now knew. 'Where did we go wrong?' Lita thought to herself. 'We covered our tracks, didn't transform or detransform in front of people, and we didn't talk about being scouts in public. So HOW DID THEY FIND OUT?!" Lita leaned against the wall, contemplating this. She had never been so sad or angry before. They were all in danger now, especially Serena, since she was the leader. 'Darien must be worried sick. Darien!' Lita raced across the room to grab the phone. She had completely forgotten to call Darien. 'Please pick up.' She thought to herself.  
  
"Hello?" she heard Darien say.  
  
"Darien, hey. I'm just going to take a guess, you saw the paper, didn't you?" Lita said.  
  
"Of course I saw the paper! And I saw the headline! And the pictures! I must have read that article a hundred times! What happened! How did they find out?!" It didn't take a genius to tell that Darien was panicking.  
  
"Darien *calm down*! We don't know how they found out, but they did. Now we have to live with it. Trust me, none of us like it any better then you do. Especially not Serena. She's scared to death."  
  
"How is she? Is she okay? What is she going to do about this? How's Rini?" Lita sensed that Darien became even more worried when he thought about Rini. 'But,' Lita reminded herself. 'Serena can take care of herself a lot better then Rini can. Rini is just a little girl.'  
  
"As far as we can tell, aside from being scared to death, Serena is fine, and so is Rini. She is in the process of telling her parents *everything*. The other girls are telling their families too, but they are leaving out the Silver Millennium and the Moon Kingdom, and Crystal Tokyo. And we're leaving out the part about you, Darien, except for Serena. As I said, she's telling everything. So you might want to be careful around her father for a while." Both Lita and Darien shared a weak laugh. They had seen Serena's father around Darien on his good days. Now he knew that Serena and Darien's relationship was a lot more serious then he had thought.   
  
"Okay," Darien said, trying to put aside his new fear of what Serena's father would do to him. "So what's our plan?"  
  
"Well, you can't let anyone know about you being Tuxedo Mask. Of course, Serena's family probably knows, but no one else does. And we need to keep you a secret for as long as possible."  
  
"Alright, I agree with that."  
  
"Also, you need to stay away from Serena…"  
  
"NO WAY!!! There is no way that I'm leaving her alone! She needs someone to tell her that everything will be fine! And she needs me now more then ever!"  
  
"Darien, listen to me! Stop yelling, it won't help. Now, you have to stay away from her, at least for today. It's safer that way. We don't need you surrounded by reporters again, and you might let something slip. Don't tell me that you've forgotten about the time that Tuxedo Mask kissed Sailor Moon on TV."  
  
"Hey. In all fairness, we didn't know that the camera was filming us. If we had known, we wouldn't have kissed!"  
  
"Darien, everyone else saw the camera. And we tried to tell you. But both of you had totally forgotten that there was anyone else in existence."  
  
"Well, it had been a tough fight. I was just glad that she was okay and hadn't been hurt."  
  
"Still, they could ask you how you feel about their relationship, and you could let something slip. And it's not like you won't be able to talk to her. You can still talk on the phone. Just don't go to her house. In fact, I encourage you to call her, but wait until tomorrow."  
  
"Alright, I guess I can wait until tomorrow. I do have a few things to take care of. Like calling Andrew. He's is my best friend, so maybe I should explain it."  
  
"Right. And Darien, thanks for being this understanding. I would have expected you to freak out way more."  
  
"Let's just say that I'm too shocked to freak out."  
  
"Okay, and be careful what you say to Andrew. If you want, you can tell him that you're Tuxedo Mask, that's up to you. But the Silver Millennium and Crystal Tokyo…"  
  
"Don't worry Lita. I won't tell him anything that could hurt Serena and Rini. One thing though, and I think that we had better find a way to solve this. What are we going to do if the reporters ask about Rini's parents? They don't exist here. What if they try to find them?"  
  
Lita's face went pale. None of them had ever even considered that. They had always just said that she was Serena's cousin, and no one ever questioned it.  
  
"Lita, it's okay. Listen, I'll think of something. I'll have a lot of free time today anyway. Don't worry. Just remember, worse comes to worse…" Darien paused at these words. He didn't want to say what he was going to say. He loved his little girl, and enjoyed her being here. But if it involved her survival… "we can … always send her home to the future."  
  
Lita decided not to pursue the subject any further. She didn't want to make him anymore scared of what may happen to Serena and Rini. And she knew that Darien would think of a solution to the real-parents-exist-in-future problem.   
  
"So," Darien said, changing the topic. "are you going to call Ken?"  
  
"Ya, I guess I should. Ken and I are close enough that he should here the whole story from me."  
  
"Okay, then I'll call Andrew. And tell Serena and Rini that they can call me anytime they want."  
  
"I will. And Darien, be careful. Talk to you later."  
  
"I'll be careful. Bye."  
  
Lita hung up the phone and sat back in her chair. She wasn't looking forward to having to tell Ken that she had a secret this huge that she had never let him know. Especially when he thought that they both knew everything about each other.  
  
'Come on Lita,' she thought to herself. 'you can do this! Amy is telling her mom, Raye is telling her grandpa and Chad, Mina is telling her parents, Serena is telling her family, so you can tell Ken. He'll understand.'  
  
Lita slowly reached for the phone and dialed Ken's number. 'Be strong, Lita' she thought to herself.  
  
"Hello?" the voice at the other end of the line said.  
  
"Ken, hi. It's Lita. Please, don't hang up; I know you must be mad at me for not telling yo-" Lita was cut off half way through her 'I'm sorry' speech.  
  
"Lita, Lita, calm down. I'm not mad. I well, kind of, knew that you were Sailor Jupiter."  
  
"WHAT!?!?!?!?! HOW!?!?!"  
  
"Well, I saw footage of a fight, and noticed that the way Sailor Jupiter moved was similar to how you move. The physical fighting was the same style that you used. So, I just started gathering information on Sailor Jupiter, and when you had to leave early, I would watch the news for information on a fight. I also noticed that you were very nervous and overly defensive whenever there were reports of a powerful enemy fighting the Scouts. The newspaper article proved it."  
  
Lita was speechless. She had never, ever, ever expected Ken to have already figured out that she was Jupiter before she told him. And she hadn't expected him to be so…calm. In fact, she was so in shock that she barely even noticed that Ken had started talking again.  
  
"Lita, are you still there?" Ken was becoming concerned.  
  
"Huh? What? Oh, yes, I'm still here."  
  
"Are you okay?" Ken could tell that Lita was scared, and he knew that she must be *really* scared. Because Lita never let her fear show otherwise.  
  
"I'm okay. Just a little…nervous" 'I won't say scared' she thought to herself.  
  
"Alright, and Lita,"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Remember, I will *always* be hear for you. For ever and a day."  
  
"Thank you, Ken. And I *will* come to you."  
  
Lita sighed. She didn't want this conversation to end. She didn't want to face the crowds of screaming fans. The reporters, trying to get the best story. And the faces of the rest of the girls, as they have to face the fact that their carefully kept secret was now known.  
  
"Lita, you need to do some damage control now, right?"  
  
She sighed again. "Right."  
  
"So, maybe…we should talk more later?"  
  
"Ya," she said, rather slowly "I guess. I promise to call you as soon as I possibly can."  
  
"And I promise to do my best to be home when you make that call."  
  
Lita smiled. As long as she has Ken for support, everything will be okay. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Lita."  
  
"Bye" she whispered.  
  
"Bye" he whispered back.  
  
She hung up the phone and walked over to her kitchen counter. She had started to worry again. Without noticing, she put a pot of water onto boil. She didn't even realize that she had gotten out the teabags, put one in the cup, and poured the boiling water onto it. In fact, it was fifteen minutes, when she was sitting on a stool with a cup of tea in front of her, that she realized that she had made it. She had even put away the kettle. 'Great, now I can cook without thinking.' Lita thought sarcastically.  
  
A beeping pulled her out of her thoughts. She reached towards her communicator and flipped open the top.  
  
"Hey girls," she said. "What's going on?"  
  
"Are you guys all done explaining too?" Serena said.  
  
Lita noticed all the other inner scouts were there as well.  
  
"I am already finished." Amy said.  
  
"Ditto." Mina replied.  
  
"I'm done." Raye said.  
  
"Me too." Lita responded. "I talked to Darien. He is pretty scared, but he agreed to be careful about what he says. We can't let anyone know that he is Tuxedo Mask. I don't know about you guys, but I think that he should be kept secret for as long as possible."  
  
"I agree." Amy answered.  
  
The other girls agreed as well, and they all knew that this meant that Darien and Serena shouldn't see each other for a while. Even Serena had realized this, and it was easy to tell, because she sounded rather upset when she agreed.  
  
"So," Mina said, deciding to lighten the situation. "How'd your parents take it, Serena?"  
  
The other girls smiled. They had been waiting for this.   
  
"Well, Daddy wasn't *too* happy about how Darien fit into it." The girls all laughed. "But I can look on the bright side, now Daddy won't kill Darien when he sees us on a date. He *really* doesn't want to see Rini upset again."  
  
All the girls laughed, except Serena. She slightly chuckled, but it wasn't a real laugh. She had seen Rini's tears. It wasn't very calming.  
  
"Okay," Lita said, deciding that time was precious and they should get down to business. "We need to do some damage control."  
  
"Right." Raye said. "Serena, does Rini know if the Scouts were revealed like this?"  
  
"She didn't know." Serena answered. "But we sent a letter to Serenity and Endymion, asking if this is what happened to them."  
  
"Good plan, Meatball Head. It's about time you started using your brain." Raye said. She knew she needed to lighten the mood.  
  
"Raye! Stop teasing me!" Serena tried to sound as angry as possible, but really she was glad. She needed something to laugh about right now.  
  
"So, what should we do until we get a response?" asked Amy.  
  
"Well," Luna said, her face appearing on the screen, "it isn't safe for any of you girls to be on your own. Serena and Rini are safe together, but you girls are alone. Especially you, Lita, and you, Amy. You two are alone most of the time, and therefore, are in more danger. So I think that maybe you should…" Luna paused. She decided to let the other girls, mostly Mina and Serena, figure out what she was trying to say. Amy was the first to respond.  
  
"I get what you're trying to say Luna." Amy said. "The reporters can get at Lita and I easier because we are usually alone."  
  
"Right." Said Luna. "So maybe you girls should pair up."  
  
"I agree with Luna." Raye said. "in fact, even me and Mina aren't *exactly* safe. We may live with our families, but we aren't protected. The reporters could probably get through Chad, Grandpa, and Mina's parents easily. It's safer if we have another scout with us, that way each of us have a *bodyguard*."  
  
"That's a good idea, Raye." Lita stated. "So who stays with who?"  
  
"Well," Artemis said, speaking for Mina. "Mina can take someone. One of her parents are usually home, so you won't be alone. Raye, I think that you could probably take someone too, right?"  
  
"Right," Raye said. "What about you Ames?"  
  
"Well, I should stay with someone." She said. "My mom will be working this week, so I'll be alone a lot. And anyways, I would be staying with someone anyway. Mina and Raye are the safest to stay with, so naturally, Lita and I would be the ones to stay with someone else."  
  
"Okay," Luna said, trying to hurry along the conversation. "Who wants to stay with whom?"  
  
"Well, I live closer to Raye then Mina, so I should stay with her." Lita said.  
  
"Perfect, can't wait for you to get here."  
  
"Okay, then I'll stay with Mina." Said Amy. "We live pretty close anyhow, so it all works out."  
  
"Fine with me." Mina said happily. She was looking forward to *finally* having someone around who was her own age. Her parents and Artemis were okay, but it wasn't the same. They didn't understand sixteen-year-old girls.  
  
"Great," Serena said, taking over her communicator again. "You guys should go soon. But first, I need to ask you something. Did you guys talk about who the outer scouts are?"  
  
All the girls said 'no'. They had all decided not to for the same reason. As long as the Outers were a secret, they should stay a secret.  
  
"Alright," Serena said, taking over her communicator again. "You guys should go now. The crowds are probably going to be getting pretty bad soon, so you'll need to move fast. And I'll call you as soon as we get the letter. Okay."  
  
"Okay." Mina said.  
  
"Agreed." Amy responded.  
  
"Fine with me." Said Lita.  
  
"Just don't forget, Meatball head."  
  
"Raye…" Serena started to say, but she stopped when she noticed that Raye had already left. The other girls had left as well, trying to avoid the argument. Serena sighed and closed her communicator.   
  
Turning to Luna, she said, "it's impossible for me to have a normal life, isn't it?"  
  
Luna nodded. She knew that this must be hard for Serena. She already had to deal with so much, but now she wouldn't even be able to pretend her life was normal.  
  
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So, another whole chapter done! Woohoo! I can't wait to finish this story so that I can do the next one. It'll be much better. Thankz for reading this! Oh, and if anyone knows where I can download the Japenese sub-titled epsidoes, PLEASE tell me. I really want to see them. Thankz. 


	4. Chapter Three

Another chapter ready to read. I can't wait to get started on my next story. Quick summary of what it'll be about - an error in the time stream causes Rini to disappear. Will Serena be strong enough to save her? I know that it sounds kinda boring, but it'll be good. I hope. I'll start writing it when this one is done.   
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
Serena sighed again and leaned back on the coach. But before she had time to really think about what was happening, a pink could appeared above her. A single letter dropped out of it onto her lap. At the same time, she could her Rini's cry of "Diana!" 'Diana must have come to." She thought, and opened her letter. Serena could hear Sammy running down the stairs to tell her parents that Rini had gotten the letter. She nodded to Luna, and Luna ran into the kitchen to tell her parents that Serena would come soon. Serena opened the letter and began to read.  
  
Dear Serena (it read),  
  
First, don't let Rini see this. She would be upset that we are writing to you separately. Don't worry though; she is getting a letter as well. And I hope you don't mind, but we have sent Diana along as well. Endymion and I thought that it would help Rini to have her guardian with her. I hope that she isn't much trouble.   
  
I know that you must be scared. Everyone finding out the secret defiantly wasn't a good thing. But, unfortunately, this *is* how it happened. Sometimes, I wish that maybe I could go back and stop the secret from being revealed, but I know that that would destroy the fragile timeline, and no one wants that. Still, don't panic, too much. Just be cautious. And you girls might want to lie low for a few days.  
  
The most important thing right now is to be a real leader. I know that you have to face a *lot* right now, but I know that you can do this. The other girls will have to turn to you for advice, and so will Rini. As I've told her, now is when she needs to listen to you the most. If I know Rini, she would have tried to carry all her problems herself. But now she will ask you for help, and I know that this will bring you closer. Just remember Serena – Luna, Darien, and your parents are always there for you to talk to. Don't you dare try to carry this by yourself. It will destroy you. Talk to them, they will listen and understand. Trust me, I was there.  
  
I understand why you wanted to send Rini home. Heck, I did too. But she will be all right, as long as you are there for her. Just make sure that she doesn't go *anywhere* by herself. In fact, none of you girls should be alone, at any time. Go everywhere in pairs. And I know that you already know this, but I want to make sure. I know that you understand.  
  
I know that this probably hasn't been the most cheery letter, but I hoped that it has helped calm you down. Look on the bright side, now you don't have to sneak around, trying to make sure that know one finds out. You got to admit, that's an upside.   
  
Oh, don't pressure Rini to show you the letter we sent her. She probably doesn't want to tell you that she has to listen to whatever you say, and that you are now the boss of her. Also, we gave her a bit of a report of what is happening here, and we can't let you know that.   
  
Still, be brave Serena. You can get through this. And, eventually, this whole incident will just become one of those stories that everybody laughs at when you tell it.   
  
Best of luck,  
  
Serenity and Endymion  
  
Serena sighed after finishing the letter. Surprisingly, it had said everything that she wanted to her. she needed a huge bit of motivation right now, and that's what the letter had done. But she didn't have much time to think about what the letter had said. Rini's footsteps could be heard, running down the stairs.   
  
"Serena!" Rini called from the kitchen. Serena quickly took the letter and put it in her sub-space pocket. "I got the letter from Mommy and Daddy."  
  
"Okay, Rini." Serena yelled back. She got off the couch and headed towards the kitchen. "What did it say?"  
  
"Everything is happening exactly how it's supposed to. So we didn't totally mess up the timeline." Rini said happily. Serena could easily tell that the smile on her face was masking all the little girl's fear. But, she decided to wait until later to talk to Rini.  
  
"Okay, well, I talked to the girls. Amy is going to Mina's and Lita is going to Raye's. It's best for us to pair up right now. I call them later to tell them that everything is okay. in the meantime, how is everything outside. Do we need crowd control?" Serena fake-chuckled at her last sentence. Everyone else did the same.   
  
"Ok, well, there all a *lot* of people outside. And I mean a *lot*." Sammy said, deciding to speak up. He had been way to silent today, and he wanted to be able to supply information about *something*. "I think our door will hold though. And anyway, worse comes to worse, if they do knock down the door, they will have to deal with at least two very angry Sailor Scouts."  
  
"That's right Sammy," Luna said. "But right now, I want you two girls upstairs. I've seen your grades; we have to fix them. You're going to have the media on you two all the time. We don't want to give them any more ammunition then they already have. So upstairs now, both you." With that, Luna went upstairs, leaving two very shocked girls behind. Sammy doubled over laughing at what Luna meant Serena and Rini would have to do. They had one day to complete all the material they were behind on. Even Ikuko and Kenji were chuckling at how hard Luna was going to be making Serena work. Diana, on the other hand, still wasn't totally sure what was going on. But she just ran after Luna up the stairs.  
  
"Now, you two." Luna yelled from the top of the stairs.  
  
'Oh, boy,' Serena and Rini thought simultaneously. 'This is going to be a long day.'  
***  
Serena and Rini walked incredibly slowly up the stairs. Neither were looking forward to having to catch up on their schoolwork. The entered Serena's room with quite a bit of reluctance. Luna and Diana were already seated on the bed. The girls grabbed their backpacks at sat at the table in Serena's room.   
  
"Okay," Luna said. "Rini, your biggest weakness in school is English, right?"  
  
Rini nodded. "Math too" she said.  
  
"Okay, we can work on those the most. Now Serena, your biggest weaknesses are math and English as well, right?"  
  
"Right Luna."  
  
"Good, this will make it a lot easier. You can both help each other. Now, we can start with math. It's probably more important right now."  
  
'Luna is never going to change.' Serena and Rini both thought. Both still had strong memories of Luna as their teacher. In the Silver Millennium for Serena, and in Crystal Tokyo for Rini. Both took out their math books and settled down to work.  
  
*****  
  
'Thank god our sub-space pockets have an infinity of space.' Lita thought to herself. She had decided that the quickest and safest way to get to Raye's was to put all the stuff that she was bringing into her sub-space pocket. Luckily, she couldn't feel the weight of all the stuff. She had packed up almost all her cookware, a lot of clothes, her school things, and any special items that she didn't want to lose. 'I guess I should get going.' She thought, rather reluctantly. She didn't want to have to leave, but at least the apartment was still hers, and it would be here when she got back.   
  
'Come on, Jup' She thought to herself. 'You have to go.' Lita walked over to the front door and locked it, then headed towards the balcony. She took in a deep breath and transformed. It didn't take a genius to tell that just walking to the temple would be a dumb idea. Right up there with telling everyone about the Silver Millennium and notifying the newspapers that there's a way to travel through time. She silently climbed onto the fire escape and roof-hoped all the way to Raye's.  
  
Lita arrived at the temple after about 10 minutes of jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She hid in one of the trees when she saw that quite a few people and reporters were already gathered around the entrance. 'Better go through the back door.' She thought to herself. She silently jumped over to the next tree, and continued that pattern until she reached the door leading to Raye's room.   
  
"Raye," Lita called softly, detransforming. "Are you there?"  
  
"Lita!" Raye cried, almost shouting. She pulled her inside, locking the door again. "Good, you're *finally* here. I was worried that the reporters might have caught you. I had Chad bring another bed in here. Oh, Grandpa is fine with you staying here. Didn't you bring any of your stuff?"   
  
"Raye," Lita said, beginning to smile. "Slow down. I brought all my stuff, and found a better use for our sub-space pockets." Lita was about to laugh when she saw the expression on Raye's face – totally confusion. She decided to show her what she meant. Lita reached into her sub-space pocket and began summoning her items. By the time she was done, clothes and other things surrounded Lita. She had left the cookware in the pocket; they would just take up space right now. She started grabbing items to put them away. Raye was still a little shocked. She hadn't even thought of doing that before. 'Now I can hide my comics from Serena.' She thought with a smile. Then Raye realized that she should be helping Lita out. She bent down and grabbed some clothes and began putting them away.  
  
"Raye," Lita said as she sat on her bed. They had finished putting away all here stuff. Raye looked up from her where she was lying on her bed.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Have you…have you talked to your…father yet?" Lita hesitated a bit. She knew that Raye and her father didn't really have a…*healthy* relationship. From what Lita knew, he had abandoned her at the temple after her mother had died because he, in some weird, twisted way, had thought that her mother dying was Raye's fault. And since he was such a workaholic, Raye had only talked to him a few times since he abandoned her. Which, as she often stated, was fine with her.  
  
"Of course I haven't talked to him." She stated, rather harshly. Lita chose to ignore it; she was used to Raye using that tone when she was talking about her father. "Why would I? Just because my face is on nearly every TV screen in the world is no reason to talk to him. If I had done that by just becoming famous we wouldn't talk, so why should we talk just because my biggest secret is out there. And anyway, he'll probably want to *save* his *reputation*. *He's* the one who abandoned Sailor Mars, the soldier of fire."  
  
"Raye, calm down!" Lita said, almost shouting. By now Raye had left her bed and was pacing in her room, nearly screaming. Lita jumped off her bed and ran over to where Raye was. She sat Raye onto her bed, and Lita sat down beside her, trying to calm her down. "Raye, it's okay. Just write him a letter, okay? You don't have to actually talk to him. Just, tell him that you're a scout and then to leave you alone. Okay?" Lita stopped talking. She had never seen Raye this…*upset* when she talked about her father.  
  
"Okay." Raye said, calming down. "I'll write him a letter, and clearly state that our relationship has changed, and I still don't want to talk to him. I can deal with that. In the meantime, we should call Meatball Head. She probably got the letter all ready and forgot to call us. That's *so* like her."  
  
Raye jumped off her bed and ran to where she had put her communicator. Lita smiled. 'It's good to see Raye back to normal,' she thought.  
  
*****  
  
"Mom, are you *sure* that you'll be okay with me gone?" Amy asked, for probably the tenth time since she told her mother that she was going to be staying at Mina's until this thing cooled down.   
  
"Yes honey, I'll be fine. And this works out really well actually. I'm going to be working at the hospital most of this week, and I wouldn't want you home by yourself right now. I'm sure that you'll have at Mina's, right?" Amy's mother smiled at her girl, trying her best to stop worrying about her. She didn't want to tell Amy that she was terrified about what might happen over the next few weeks, although see figured that Amy was probably just as scared. Right now they were in the process of moving most of Amy's things into the car. Luckily, the car was in the garage, so the didn't have to fight through all the reporters and fans. Most of Amy's things that were too important to put in the boxes were put in what Amy called a 'sub-space pocket'. They were things like her lab top, pictures, schoolbooks, clothes, and other various important things that Amy didn't want to lose. The result was very few boxes, which was what Amy had planned on.  
  
"Is that the last of them?" her mother asked.  
  
"Yes, I think so." Amy responded.  
  
"Okay then I guess…we should get going." Amy's mother headed towards the driver's side door of the car and got in. Amy followed suit and climbed into the passenger side.  
  
They were both silent until they got on the road. Amy was the first to speak.  
  
"Mom?" She said.  
  
"Yes, hon."  
  
"Umm, what are we going to do about Dad?" Amy was a little reluctant to ask this. She knew that her parents weren't exactly on the best of terms since the divorce.  
  
"I'll…talk to him." Her mother managed to say. She wasn't really happy about having to talk to her ex, but if it meant being able to lighten Amy's load of worries, she would do it.  
  
"Thanks Mom." Amy said, smiling at her mother.  
  
Her mother smiled back. It was nice to see Amy a bit happier. These next few days would be exceptionally hard for her.   
  
"We're here." Her mother announced a few minutes later, trying to sound happier then she actually was.  
  
Amy looked up from her lap. She hadn't even noticed that they were anywhere near Mina's street until her Mom announced that they were there. It took Amy a few seconds to realize that they were in the alley behind Mina's house. 'Good plan Mom.' Amy thought. Now she could be dropped off a lot easier.   
  
A movement to the left caught Amy's eye. It only took her a second to figure out whom it was. "Mina!" Amy called quietly.   
  
"Hey Ames!" Mina answered back. She walked over to the trunk of the car to help unload Amy's stuff. "My parents are totally okay with you coming. We're gonna have the best time ever!"   
'Same old Mina,' Amy thought to herself. 'she can be bubbly even in a crisis.' She laughed quietly.  
  
"Ames. Ames. Amy!" Mina was trying to be as quiet as possible, but it was hard to get Amy's attention like that.  
  
"Huh. What?" Amy responded.  
  
"Where's all your stuff? There's only a few boxes here. And I don't see your lab. Don't tell me you left it?!"  
  
"No, I didn't leave it." Amy said, carrying one of the boxes towards the house. Mina was right behind her, carrying another. her mother followed them after locking the car. "I just found a new use for our subspace pockets."  
  
It took Mina a few minutes to figure out what Amy had said. She had never thought that *Amy* would use her sub-space pocket for something other then Sailor stuff. Every time Mina had done that, Artemis had yelled at her. 'Oh well.' She thought. 'If Amy did it, then it must be okay right now. I guess that this *does* count as an exception cause this *is* an emergency.'  
  
"Hello Amy. Hello Dr. Anderson." Mina's mother called from the back door. Her parents had come out to great Amy and her mother. Both Amy and Dr. Mizuno responded with a 'Hello.'  
  
"It actually Dr. Mizuno." Amy's mother said, cheerfully. "My ex-husband was Mr. Anderson, and after the divorce, I went back to my maiden name."  
  
"Come on Amy, let's take this stuff up to the guest room." Mina said. She figured that her parents and Amy's mother would want some time to themselves, probably to talk about what has happened. Mina headed up the stairs to the room next to hers. "Here we are!" she announced cheerfully.   
  
"Great." Amy said. She was still a little worried, but decided that if Mina could fake *that* much cheerfulness (she saw it in her eyes. Pure fear.), then she could at least try to sound normal. "Well, I guess we should start putting things away. Where's Artemis?"  
  
"Right here Amy." He announced, walking into the room. "Gad to see that you got here without any problems.  
  
"Good. Well Ames, I guess we should start unpacking. I'll put away the clothes, k?"  
  
"Alright. I'll empty out my pocket." Amy started pulling out all the items in her sub space pocket, except for the Scout items. Despite the fact that the girls usually regarded Amy as being incredibly neat, Amy decided that for once she would be messy. So, by the time she was done, the floor and the bed were covered with clothes, books, and all the other things that Amy had brought. Except for her lab top. She didn't want it to get hurt. She decided to leave it in her sub space pocket until everything else had been put away.  
Mina set to work right away on the clothes. she decided to let Amy handle the books, those were more her thing anyway. Artemis stuck around long enough for Mina to drop a pile of clothes on his head. It was then that he decided that the best, and safest, place for him would be downstairs with Mina's parents and Amy's mother.  
They were just finishing putting everything away when Amy's mother appeared in the doorway of the room. "Amy, hon." She said. Amy got up from where she was on the floor and abandoned the boxes that she had been folding up.   
  
"Yes, Mom." Amy said, she knew what her mother was going to say.  
  
"Amy, I *should* get going. Is that okay?"  
  
"Yes, I guess you should get going." Amy tried to sound cheerful, but her mother and Mina could both see that it was drop-dead fake. Amy's mother crossed the room and gave Amy a hug. Amy managed to hide the tears of fear that were running down her face. She knew that she would have to be brave right now, because this was nothing compared to what she would face from the press.  
Amy and her mother walked downstairs together. Mina was going to follow them, but she decided to go into the kitchen to talk with her parents again.  
  
"Bye Mom." Amy said when they reached the door. She could feel the tears pooling in her eyes again.  
  
"Bye Amy. I love you." Her mother had tears pooling in her eyes too. She drew Amy into a hug.   
  
They stood like that for a few minutes, neither wanting to break it. "I love you too." Amy said, quiet enough that only her and her mother could hear.   
  
"Bye honey," her mother said, tears now running down her cheeks.  
  
"Bye." Amy said back. She didn't even care that she was crying now. For once, she didn't want to have to be the responsible and rational one. She just wanted to collapse and cry because their carefully created weaved web of secrets was coming unraveled. Now, because of the fact that they weren't safe anymore, she couldn't even be with her Mom.   
They broke from their hug, and Amy watched as her mother walked to her car.  
  
"It'll be okay." Mina said, coming up behind Amy. Amy nodded her head as she watched her mother drive her car away. Her mother waved to her from the car, and Amy waved back before going inside.  
  
"Aw, cheer up Ames." Mina said, trying to sound as happy as possible. "It's not like you'll never see her again. Just think of this as a very long slumber party. Or like your Mom is going away for a week. You're with me, Mina. I'm gonna make sure that you have the best time ever!"  
  
"Okay, Mina." Amy said, putting on one of those I-don't-really-want-to-be-here-but-I-will-do-my-best-to-pretend-I-am-having-fun smiles. "Come on," she said, walking up the stairs. "Let's call Serena. We can see of she got the letter yet."  
  
"K." Mina said, "I'll get us some popcorn. Met you in your room."  
  
"Okay," Amy said, and they spilt up in different directions.   
  
'I'm glad Amy is feeling better.' Mina thought to herself as she took out the popcorn.  
  
*****  
  
"Serena" Luna said, sounding like she had crossed the irritation line a *long* time ago. "You should be able to do this problem. It's simple math for a sixteen year old. Just pay attention!"  
  
"Huh?" Serena said, looking towards Luna. She had been staring outside, thinking about what her friends and Darien were doing.   
  
Rini stifled a giggle. She had had Luna trying to teach her for the last hour, now she was at least going to get a break. And now Serena was going to get the standard lecture. One that Serena and Rini both knew by heart, although Rini's "standard lecture" was a bit different.  
  
"Serena, it's your job as a princess to understand your future people." Serena was silently mouthing each word Luna said, perfectly in time. "To understand them, you need to know what they know. Therefore, you have to know what's in these books. And Crystal Tokyo won't be right there the second you finish school. You will need knowledge to build it, and the citizens won't support an unintelligent queen. And you will need to do *something* until that time comes. It could be years before the freeze. Don't think that we're going to let you just sit back and do nothing. You will need good grades in high school, because, like it or not, you are going to further your education and go to university, even if I have to drag you there every single day." Luna stopped for a breath. Rini was, at this point doing her best to stop from laughing out loud from watching Serena and Luna. "And don't think that you'll be able to just marry Darien and then you're all set. Even he's going to school to become a doctor, even though he won't need that as a King. Your friends also have plans, however ridiculous. Lita's going to be a chef, Amy a doctor, Mina a superstar, and Raye, a business women and priestess. So you should have a plan as well. And don't say that it's going to be being Sailor Moon. That cannot be what you plan to spend your life as; those powers are only for when the Negaverse attacks, and right now we're only getting strays. So, now Serena, I suggest you concentrate on that book and learn the material, because you aren't going to get anywhere without.  
  
"Yes Luna." Serena said turning back to her math text. A beeping interrupted her "thinking" however.  
  
"I'll get it." Rini said, grabbing her communicator before Serena could get hers. "Hello? Hey girls!"  
  
"Rini?" Raye looked stunned for a moment. She had forgotten that Rini had a communicator too.   
"Hi."  
  
"Hey." Serena said, after getting her communicator. "Hey Ames. Hi Mina. Hey Lita. Hi Raye."  
  
"Hey." They all answered back. Raye seemed a bit surprised that Amy and Mina were there, but Serena figured that it probably was just because they had joined last, and Raye wasn't expecting them.  
  
"So Meatball Head," Raye said, "Have you gotten the letter from Crystal Tokyo yet?"  
  
"Actually yes." She responded, careful not to mention that she and Rini each got one.  
  
"Serena!" they all, except Rini, screamed at her. "You were supposed to call us when you got it!"  
  
"Sorry," she said, kind of holding the communicator away from her. "Rini, why don't you tell them what it says."  
  
"Okay," she said, smiling at Serena. "Well, basically this is what was supposed to happen. So we haven't done anything wrong. And I'm allowed to stay here, so I won't have to go home *just* yet."  
  
"That's great Rini!" Mina said. "We would've missed you if you had left."  
  
"Ya, totally!" Lita said, with as much enthusiasm as Mina.  
  
"So, what have you two been doing?" Amy said, rather curious.  
  
"Ohhh," groaned Serena and Rini at the exact same time. Luna took this opportunity to take control of Serena's communicator.   
  
"Those two," Luna said, referring to Serena and Rini. "Have been catching up on their homework. Seriously, I didn't know that they were this behind. I've had to re-teach plenty of things. And Serena spends the entire time staring out the window. And you four girls should be working as well. Mina, I know that your grades aren't exactly perfect. Thankfully, you have Artemis and Amy to help. Lita, Raye, I'm afraid that neither Artemis nor I will be able to assist you, so you two will have to rely on each other for assistance."  
  
The displeasure of three girls at the idea of spending Sunday doing homework was clearly heard. Amy seemed to be the only one who didn't mind.  
  
"I think that this is a great idea Luna," Amy said. "You know that the reporters are going to try to find out our grades, so we should be improving them. We don't want people to think that the Sailor Scouts are lazy or stupid. This just means working a little bit harder."  
  
"Ames," Lita said, "You're not helping."  
  
"I side with Luna." Artemis said, after gaining control of Mina's communicator. "You girls have to bring up your grades quickly. All this work on a Sunday is technically your fault for not working harder earlier."  
The girls all knew exactly what would happen the second that Artemis said those words, unfortunately Artemis wasn't quite prepared. The sound of Artemis's "Mina, that *hurt*!" could be heard just seconds after. Needless to say, Mina took control over her communicator after that.  
  
"Okay, now for the media issue…" Mina began, not quite sure what else to say.  
  
"I think that we should just lie-low." Serena spoke up. She decided that now was the time when she should take control as leader, and there was no sense in avoiding it. "We shouldn't be doing anything to draw attention to ourselves."  
  
"I think that it's a little late for *that*, Meatball head." Raye said. The other girls all silently groaned, sensing the start of a never-ending argument.   
  
"Raye…" Serena started, but the sounds coming from outside told her that she had no time for an argument. Therefore the best thing to do right now would be to ignore Raye's sarcastic comments.   
"I'm guessing that school tomorrow probably wouldn't be a good idea, so I think that we should all stay home." Four cheers could be heard, as well as one groan of displeasure. "We'll have to talk about it in the morning. After all, our parents would have to agree as well."  
  
"I think our parents have already put all decisions regarding this in our hands." Mina said, and the others agreed with her.  
  
"I think that too, Mina" Serena said. "So at least that's taken care of. We can talk about it more in the morning. Otherwise, I think that we should all stay indoors and out of sight. Okay?"  
  
"Alright." Raye responded, almost surprised at how leader-like Serena was sounding.  
  
"Deal." Mina said, not at all happy about having to spend a day inside working on homework.  
  
"Okay." Lita said, happy to support Serena's decision.  
  
"Agreed." Amy replied, her cheerfulness masking her displeasure about missing school.  
  
"Good," Serena said, happy that everyone had agreed to her plan. "Then why don't we start our work and will talk in the morning."  
  
"Okay, bye." Said the four girls before there faces disappeared.  
  
"Bye." Serena and Rini both said, and closed their communicators as well.  
  
"Well," Luna said, speaking up. "I think that we should get started on our work now."  
  
Groans could be heard from both the girls as they turned their attention back to their schoolwork.  
  
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How's that for the chapter? Thanks a ton to all the people who have reviewed the story. Your reveiws are really helping:) I'll finish the story soon, then I gotta take a break. I'm spending most of my time writing this, and my grades are starting to reflect that:( Ohh well. Next chapter up soon. 


	5. Chapter Four

Hiya everybody. So, I decided that Raye's father should *finally* make an appearence. Fun, huh? Anywayz, enjoy! I hope this turns out okay, I decided to pull an all-nighter to finish this fic:)  
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***Several hours later***  
  
"Raye," Lita said, speaking for the first time in over an hour about something not school-related. "You need to call him. At least then it's over and done with."  
  
"Lita," Raye said, looking up from her text. "I don't need to call him."  
  
"But Raye, you…"  
  
"No Lita, I really don't need to *call* him." Raye continued staring out the window.   
  
"Why? Shouldn't you talk to him?"  
  
"I don't need to call him." Raye repeated. "Because here he comes."  
  
"What?" Lita said, turning around. Sure enough, she could see a man, who resembled Raye somehow, although it wasn't in the looks, walking towards the temple. He was dressed in a spotless suit and was carrying a briefcase, and he reminded Lita perfectly of a workaholic, exactly what Raye had said he was.  
  
When Lita turned back to Raye, she noticed that Raye had stood up and was straitening out her priestess robes. Raye moved towards the door, and into the hall, towards the door where her father was now standing. Lita was going to follow her, but decided on just moving closer to Raye's door. That way she would at least be able to here what was happening.  
  
"Welcome to the Cherry Hill Temple," Raye said. "Father." It sounded almost like Raye spat that last word to Lita.  
  
"Raye, darling, it's good to see you again." Lita heard the man say.  
  
"Why have you come?" Raye let him into the hallway, but wasn't planning on letting him move any farther. To her he was still the man who abandoned her after her mother's death. The same man who hated her, merely because she hadn't been the son that he had always wanted. And the man that hadn't chosen to contact her since.  
  
"Well, to see you, of course." The man said, as if it was obvious. "Especially in light of resent events, I figured that now is when I should remind you that I'm always out there."  
  
"In light of resent events? Wait, you know about me being a Scout, don't you?" Lita could hear the definite accusation in Raye's voice. Lita noticed that the noise Raye and her father were making had attracted Chad and Grandpa.   
  
"Shh." Lita said, motioning for them both to come into Raye's room. "Stay here and stay quiet." They listened to her and sat down to listen to the conversation.   
  
"Of course I know," her father said, starting to sound angry. He covered that up with his   
"Sweetheart. I saw it in the newspaper, and decided that now is when I should see my little girl. Now is when she needs the comfort of family."  
  
"I have 'the comfort of family'. I have Grandpa, and I have the other Scouts. And that isn't why you came. I can tell."  
  
"Ahhh, my Raye. So much like your mother. Always looking for an ulterior motive."  
  
"That's because with you, there usually is one."  
  
"I merely decided that we have been apart far too long. I have seen you in nearly eleven years. That's why I think it's time that we mended the rift between us. We'll need that, if we want to get along."  
  
"I haven't needed to 'get along' with you in eleven years, why would I need to now? When this conversation is over, you are going to go back to your office, and I'm going to stay here. The only time that we would ever need to even talk is if you think that I might be involved in something that would…" Raye paused for a second, realizing why he was here, "would hurt your career. That's why you're here, isn't it? Isn't it?"  
  
"Well Raye," Mr. Hino began, the conversation obviously not going the way he had planned. "The reporters will realize that successful business man Kazu Hino is related to Sailor Soldier Raye Hino. If they do it right, they will find out I'm your father. Then the questions will come. 'Why doesn't your daughter live with you?' they'll ask. I might as well then kiss my career good-bye. I have to show that I care about my family. And you, Raye, are my family."  
  
"So you expect me to drop everything for you and your stupid career?" by now Raye was yelling loud enough that Lita was surprised that the reporters hadn't already come running.   
  
"As my daughter, I have custody over you. And if I want you to come, then you have to."  
  
"I don't have to do anything! You lost all those rights when you dumped me off here."  
  
"Until you are of age, you are my daughter and if I want you to come with me, then you have to. Like it or not Raye, it's the law."  
  
"Well, do you think it would look so good for your career if the media finds out that you are holding the soldier of fire against her will? And you can easily deny that you are my father."  
  
"It isn't that easy Raye. The people at my office, they know that you're my daughter. Many remember when your mother used to bring you to the office to see me. They never forgot about 'sweet little Raye' despite the fact that I never talked about you. By now, they have found out that you are Mars, and I need to maintain my image. So pack your bags and let's go."  
  
"Absolutely not!" Raye screamed. Lita cringed slightly; she had seen first-hand what Raye was capable of when she was this angry. "I refuse to go, leave my friends, and live with you. And you can't make me come."  
  
"I can and I will." Her father shouted right back at her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. 'Big mistake.' Lita thought when she saw it. Lita could almost see the anger in Raye's eyes.  
  
"Let go of me." Raye said, quietly, although they put more fear in Mr. Hino's heart then her yelling had. He dropped her arm immediately. But the fire in her eyes was already there.  
  
"Now, leave the temple grounds. And if anyone asks, you can tell him or her you had a niece named Raye, too. That should 'save your career'." Raye was speaking quietly, but each of her words invoked fear in her father.  
  
"Fine." He said, going out the door. "But, Raye Hino, you are now no longer my daughter. Don't come to me when the world falls apart and you need saving."  
  
"Trust me, I won't. I'm the one who saves the world when it falls apart. And my father died eleven years ago with my mother to me. I don't know who you are." With that, Raye slammed the door shut and walked towards her room. If anyone had been watching Mr. Hino, they would have seen him walk towards his car and never look back.  
  
Chad and Grandpa stood against Raye's wall as Raye stormed into her room. They left, after Lita gave them a look that clearly said, "I can handle it". Grandpa decided that he would talk to Raye later, when she went for a fire reading, as she often did when she was upset.  
  
Lita moved from her place by the door to sit on her bed, which, she decided, was probably the safest place to be. When Raye started pacing, her decision proved to be right.  
  
"I can't believe him!" Raye screamed, pacing around her room. "What did he think he was doing? He ignores me from eleven years! Eleven years! And he expects me to drop everything and follow him! Who in the world does he think he is?! That arrogant, self-centered jerk! Next time he sets foot on the grounds, I'm going to burn it right off. I don't care that this is a temple; it'll be the work of Mars, not a priestess. The nerve!"  
  
"Raye," Lita said, speaking up lordly enough for Raye to hear. "*Calm down*. He's gone, okay? And anyway, Mars *is* still a priestess, Mars is still Raye. Luckily, Jupiter isn't a priestess, and I'm staying here."  
  
"Thanks Lita" Raye said, sitting down next to her. "I guess that I shouldn't let him bother me, huh? After all, apparently I'm dead to him. And I'm glad. At least I'll never again have to talk to him."  
  
"That's right Raye." Lita said smiling. "So, ready to start the English homework?"  
  
Raye smiled at that, picked up a pillow, and tossed it at Lita. Within seconds, the screams of laughter could be heard, and Lita and Raye were involved in a serious pillow fight.  
  
'I'm glad Raye's happy again.' Chad thought, when he peeked inside the room. 'She shouldn't ever have to deal with her father again.'  
  
*****  
  
"Artemis!!!" Mina screamed. Artemis had been watching her carefully for over an hour. When he went to consult with Amy over calculus, Mina had taken out her discman, and been able to hide the discman under her books, while her hair hid the headphones. But Artemis had spotted the half-paying attention look Mina had when she was listening to music, and snatched the headphones away from her. Now Mina was in the process of chasing Artemis across the room, trying to get her headphones back.  
  
"Eina, wou showldnint hab been goobing ofd. Wou showld know beffer!" His words sounded slightly weird, but that was because he was trying to talk with headphones in his mouth.  
  
"You give those back right now Artemis, or you will wish you were dead!" Mina screamed at him again. Unfortunately, Mina's room was never neat, which was where they were. It didn't bother Artemis; he was incredibly graceful since he was a cat. Mina however, wasn't quite as graceful. And both her and Amy had to suffer from it.   
  
"Owww! Mina! Get off of me!" Amy cried, after Mina had tripped over a textbook and crashed into Amy, causing them both to end up in a heap on the floor. Artemis had stopped a safe distance away and was laughing at the sight in front of him.   
  
"Artemis! Get your furry little butt back here!" Mina yelled, scrambling back onto her feet and continuing the chase. Amy got back on her feet as quickly as possible and moved to a safe place against Mina's wall. She had to admit, watching Mina chase Artemis was a funny scene.  
  
"Mina," her mother said, rather surprised, from the doorway, "what in the world are you doing to poor Artemis?" Artemis took this chance to hide behind Mrs. Aino.  
  
"Pathetic." Mina muttered under her breath after seeing that Artemis had taken refuge behind her mother.  
  
"Could someone please tell me what is going on?" Mrs. Aino said, after surveying the room. She was quite confused; she saw Amy pressed against a back wall; Mina kneeling on the floor in front of her feet; Artemis hiding behind her, with…headphones? in his mouth; and books and clothes scattered everywhere, although that was normal for Mina's room.   
  
"It's quite simple, Mrs. Aino." Amy said, taking charge. "Mina was listening to music, Artemis grabbed the headphones, and Mina chased him. The usual."  
  
"Oh really," Mrs. Aino said, slightly amused. It was nice to see that Mina hadn't changed, despite recent events. "Well, Mina, I think I heard something that stated that you are supposed to be doing homework, so Artemis did the right thing taking away your headphones." Artemis chuckled, ever so slightly, which was very hard to do with his mouth full. "Now, Mina, if you are so dead set against working, I just finished baking some cookies. So why don't you girls come down for some cookies and milk and take a break from all this studying."  
  
"Great, thanks mom!" Mina said, jumping up. "Wait, what kind?"  
  
Amy and Artemis rolled their eyes. They knew that with Mina, it didn't matter, as long as the cookies were filled with chocolate and sugar.  
  
Mina's mother chuckled. 'Definitely Mina.' She thought. "Chocolate chip cookies, Mina." A meow by her feet reminded her that she had another person to please. "And a saucer of milk for you, Artemis."  
  
Mrs. Aino smiled again at the girls, and went downstairs to get the snack ready. Mina bounded after her, looking as happy as she usually does when sugar is offered. Artemis had abandoned the headphones and was running down the stairs, definitely excited about the saucer of milk that was waiting for him. Amy smiled to herself as she started down the stairs. 'It's nice to know that some things never change.' She thought to herself. Then the smell of the fresh baked cookies reached her, and Amy quickened her steps down the stairs into the kitchen.  
  
*****  
  
"Here girls," Ikuko said, entering the room, carrying a tray of Serena and Rini's favorite doughnuts. She knew that this was hard for both of them, especially Serena. "I brought you up a treat. I think that it's time that you took a break; you've been working for quite awhile."  
Both girls smiled their thanks, and attacked the plate of doughnuts. Diana was the first to discover the treat Ikuko had brought up for the cats.  
  
"Tuna!" She cried happily, diving into the bowlful. The cry of tuna had gotten Luna's attention, and she came over to investigate. Ikuko could she the delight in her eyes when she found her own bowl, filled with tuna, and she to dived into it.  
  
"Thanks Mom." Serena said between bites.  
  
Ikuko just smiled and made her way out the door. 'They shouldn't have to deal with this.' She thought. 'Serena and Rini they're just…just children. Well, Serena isn't a child anymore, but still!' Ikuko paused when she reached the bottom of the stairs. 'It just isn't fair.'  
Meanwhile, after finishing off the donuts, Serena had gone to get the phone to call Molly. Rini had gone up to her room.  
  
"Mol, hi." Serena said when Molly answered the phone. "Molly I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But I couldn't, I didn't want you to get hurt. Please, forgive me."  
  
"Ser," Molly said. "Calm down. It's okay; I'm not upset. I understand why you didn't tell me. I got in trouble with the Negaverse enough when I didn't know anything about the scouts. I would have been killed if you had told me. And I took care of our friends earlier. I guessed that you were too busy to call everyone and tell them to not hound the scouts, so I did it for you. I think most of them spread the word to not bug you guys; they know that this is hard."  
  
"Molly, thank you." Serena said. She was glad that Molly understood. "I don't know what I would do without you."  
  
"It's no problem." Molly said. "I totally wish that we could talk longer, but I've still got homework to do. Call me soon, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Oh, I won't be at school tomorrow, we want the press to settle down a little bit. I'll be back on Tuesday."  
  
"Okay, see you."  
  
"Bye Molly."  
  
Serena hung up the phone, and turned towards the window to gaze at the sun, just beginning to set. 'Molly's such a good friend' Serena thought.  
  
Rini returned a minute later with her painting equipment and a painting that she had been working on for a few weeks.  
  
"What's that Rini?" Diana asked, becoming instantly curious when she saw the painting. She jumped up onto the table to get a better view. When she saw it, she gasped. "Rini," she started, sounding amazed. "That's incredible!"  
Rini just smiled and finished setting up. Luna had come over to see what the painting was, and Serena had moved from her spot to see it. They too, gasped when they saw it. The painting was still in pencil, but you could clearly see the design. Each of the lines were drawn so carefully, creating such intricate detail. In truth, it was hard to believe that Rini hadn't sketched it in real life; instead she had had to use pictures. The painting had the Crystal Palace, in all it's glory, in the background. There was a small hill in front of it, and standing on that hill, facing the palace (you could only see their backs) were, in order from the left hand side, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Saturn (with their talismans). Then, in the center, left to right, went King Endymion, Princess Serenity, and Neo-Queen Serenity. Finally, in order from the right hand side, went Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter. Then, drawn in the sky, above the palace, with the shaded parts of their face starry, were, in order left to right, Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Mini Moon, and Sailor Moon.   
  
"Rini," Serena said, still stunned, "That's amazing. How did you ever manage to do that so…so…so well? It looks like a professional painting!"  
  
"I have to agree Rini." Luna said. "I've seen many paintings, but this one…this one is truly remarkable."  
  
"Thank you, Serena, Luna, Diana." Rini said, getting the paints ready. "I was in art class one day, and I just started sketching the Crystal Palace. When I got home, I took out all the pictures I had of it, and did a better drawing. Then I just decided to make it into a painting. I'm going to give it to Mom and Dad when I get back. And the reason that no one has seen me working on it is because I've been working on it in my room when I'm alone." Rini stopped and took a good look at the painting. She had to agree, she had worked extremely hard on it and it was quite good. "Aunt Michelle has been giving me art lessons in Crystal Tokyo, so that's also helped."  
  
"Well Rini, I'm sure that your parents will enjoy it." Luna said, still admiring the painting. 'She must have inherited Darien's creativity; Serena doesn't have talent like *this*.' She thought, going over to the window. Serena looked at the painting again, then followed Luna to sit by the window and watch the crowds. Diana stayed by Rini, and Rini continued to work on the painting.  
  
By the time Rini was half done painting the palace, Luna announced that it was time for bed. Both girls, however reluctantly, went to bed, and settled into a fitful sleep. Their guardians remained right beside them, to make sure that they both at least got *some* sleep.  
  
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Another chapter written n read. I hope none of u mind, but you might notice me rushing through the chapeters a bit. Hope it's okay:) 


	6. Chapter Five

Hey, another chapter. Thanks to all those still reading:)  
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"Serena!" Luna yelled the next morning. It was the daily ritual. Serena would oversleep. Luna would end up yelling in her ear until she finally got up, but by then she was late. So she would madly rush around trying to get ready, then run out the door to get to school more or less on time. This morning was a bit different however. Serena didn't have school, since they wanted to wait and find out how the schools handle this. She did, however, have to call the others to get a plan of action together. "Serena! Would you just WAKE UP!"  
  
"Luna," Rini said, appearing in the doorway. "You won't get her up like that. Leave it to me, I'm a pro." A smile appeared on her face as she walked over to Serena's bed. Luna jumped off, and sat on the floor to watch.  
  
"Serena," Rini said in a singsong type voice, barely 2 inches from Serena's ear. "Darien's here."  
  
"What!" Serena said, jumping out of bed. "Darien's here?! When did he get here? Has Daddy seen him? Ohhh, did I forget we had a date? I'm going to be soo late!" She finally slowed down enough to let reality catch up to her. That's when she noticed Rini laughing hysterically, and Luna trying her best to not to laugh quite as hard. Serena stopped and turned to face both of them.   
  
"Rini," she said in her best I'm-your-mother-so-I-won't-get-to-mad-but-you-should-know-that-I'm-incredibly-ticked-off voice. "That wasn't very nice. And the next time you do that, I'm taking you home myself."  
  
Rini stopped laughing immediately. Her mother only used that voice when Rini had done something *really* wrong and she was extremely angry. It was a bit scary to think that Serena was able to do that too, even though they are the same person. "You wouldn't dare." Rini said. "And anyway, we had to get you up *somehow*." After saying that, Rini dashed downstairs.   
  
Serena smiled slightly and shook her head. 'Rini *is* just like me.' She thought to herself. She grabbed her communicator and ran down the stairs after her.   
  
"Morning baby." Ikuko said to Serena when she appeared in the kitchen. Rini was already seated at the table eating a huge stack of pancakes. Serena sat down and started eating hers right away.  
  
"So, girls, what's the plan?" Kenji asked. "What should we be telling the reporters?"  
  
"Well," Serena said, putting down her fork. "We want to keep as much a secret as possible. All the newspapers know is who the scouts are, and our enemies and attacks – fairly basic stuff. So when answering questions, say *nothing* about royalty, the Moon Kingdom, or anything else that they don't already know. If you don't know how to answer a question, just saw 'No comment.'   
That works for your friends too." Serena said that last sentence looking at Sammy and Rini. She trusted them with the world, but they were the two most likely to let something slip.  
  
"I agree Serena." Luna said, jumping onto a chair. "That is the best way to handle everything right now."  
  
"Alright." Kenji said, getting up from the table. "Since that's taken care of, I had better get going. Sammy, I'm dropping you off at school, so you should go and gather what you'll need. It's too dangerous for *you* to be walking to school."  
  
Kanji and Sammy departed soon after, and Serena, Rini, Ikuko, and Luna were able to have a quiet breakfast, if you ignore the reporters outside the front door.  
  
"So, Rini." Serena said, breaking the silence. "I meant to ask you, have you to Melissa yet? I already talked to Molly last night."  
  
Rini nodded. "Uh-huh. I called her while waiting for the letter from Mom and Dad. She understood. And she can't wait for me to come to school."  
  
"That's wonderful honey." Ikuko said, smiling at her granddaughter. 'I can't believe that little girl is my granddaughter, and a crown princess. Now I feel old.' Ikuko chuckled. "I'm glad that you both have your friends to help you out."  
  
"Me too." Serena stated. "Now, school-wise, me and the scouts–"  
  
"The scouts and I" Luna corrected. Serena glared at her for interrupting.  
  
"Should probably go back to school tomorrow. We're in high school, so we can't miss too many days before we fall more behind. Since Raye's at a private school, she should be safe. They won't let in reporters. Amy, Lita Mina, and me" Luna decided to keep quite about that mistake. She had *almost* gotten it right. "all go to the same school, so we can protect each other. Rini, you on the other hand, don't have these advantages, so we will have to set up some sort of a system to keep you safe. Either way, Rini shouldn't go back until Wednesday. Alright?"  
  
"Okay." Rini replied, a bit less then cheerful. The concept of having two days off would be fun, normally. But in this case, she wasn't allowed to go outside, Luna would be making her work, and it would be two more days before she saw Melissa.  
  
"Well, I think that that plan sounds good." Ikuko said, rising from the table. "Why don't you girls get an early start on your homework. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."  
The day progressed similar to the day before. Luna acted like an army drill sergeant, but the girls managed to get caught up in their work and understand exactly what they were supposed to be doing in class. They had a quick conversation with the girls – gossiped a bit, talked about what the media was saying, gossiped some more, and talked about what they were going to do about the reporters and people at school. After that conversation, Serena had a much longer conversation with Darien. Rini decided that for once, she wasn't going to bother Serena when she was talking to Darien, so Rini retreated to her room with Diana and Luna in tow. When Sammy came home, smile on his face, he made a beeline for his sister's room.  
  
"Thanks sis." Sammy said sticking his head in her room. "Your secret has made me the most popular kid at school."  
  
Serena glared at him, both because she was still on the phone, and because Sammy was using her problems to his advantage. Sammy just laughed slightly and headed back to his room.  
The next day, however, proved to be far more difficult.  
  
*****  
  
"Serena!" Luna screamed into her ear the next morning. Rini was still asleep, so she couldn't help, and if Serena didn't wake up soon, she would be late for school. Since no other option was available, Luna used her last weapon.  
  
"YEEOOWW!!!!!!!" Serena screamed, jumping out of bed. She looked in the mirror, and could see a scratch mark along her back. Luna meanwhile was seated near the door, examining her claws.  
  
"If you don't want me to do that, wake up on time." Luna walked out the door after she said that. She could here Serena's grumbling as she walked away.  
  
Serena took only a few moments before she saw what time it was. "I'm gonna be late!" she screamed, and started her daily routine. Panic about time, grab clothes, get dressed in an amount of time that is impossible to most, brush teeth, wash face, apply make-up, panic some more, do hair, and dash downstairs. Serena quickly sat down at the table and started her breakfast.  
  
"Serena," her mother said, watching her eat. "I know that you need to hurry up or else you'll be late, but please, don't choke."  
  
"It's okay." Serena said, standing up. "I'm done."  
  
"That's good," Kenji said, "because we have to get going."   
  
"Alright," Serena said, starting towards the car. "I call shotgun."  
  
"No way!" Sammy exclaimed, and ran after his sister.  
  
Naturally, all those years of chasing monsters and running to school paid off, and Serena settled herself comfortably in the front seat.   
  
Driving to the school was a rather eventful experience. They had the reporters on them the second they pulled out of the garage. Her dad managed to get out of the driveway without hitting any of them, much to Serena's suggestions. "It wouldn't hurt to get rid of a few of them." She said, luckily they all knew that she was joking.  
  
For the first time, Serena realized, she was actually early to school. She managed to get inside, and to her classroom where the other girls were waiting without problems. That ended up putting her in an extremely cheerful and optimistic mood.  
  
"Hey girls. Glad you got here okay. I can't believe I'm-" Serena stopped when she noticed that her teacher, Mrs. Hilton, was in the room.  
  
(A.N. – I know that her teacher was Ms. Haruna, but that was Junior High. She's at high school now.)  
  
"Good morning Mrs. Hilton." Serena said.  
  
"Good morning Serena. We were just discussing the situation."   
  
Serena sat down on top of on of the desks. "Okay. Fill me in."  
  
"Well," Amy said. "First off, we have permission to stay in here during lunch. It isn't safe to go outside. Also, we were talking about what the school…thought about this. Apparently, this is what *everyone* was talking about yesterday. The teachers also, thankfully, told the students to not pester us and treat us like they normally do."  
  
"Good," Serena said. "At least that's taken care of."  
  
"Unfortunately," Mina said. "That probably won't stop the students from pestering us anyway."  
'Ohhh boy,' Serena thought 'this is going to be a *long* day.'  
  
*****  
  
"Where is everybody?" Rini asked, coming into the kitchen. Ikuko was at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.  
  
"Serena and Sammy are at school, and your…grandpa," Ikuko was about to say 'uncle' but she decided that since it wasn't really true, she shouldn't use it. "is at work."  
  
Rini smiled, glad that her grandma was okay with all this. Then she walked over to the table to have her breakfast.  
  
"So Rini," Ikuko said, putting down her coffee cup. "What would you like to do today?"  
  
"Ummm," Rini said, trying to think. "Ohhh, could you teach me how to make a lemon pie. Pretty please! Jupi's tried, and she's super close, but they don't taste exactly the same. I really want to learn, then I'll be able to teach Jupiter something, instead of the other way around." Rini decided that when she was referring to the future scouts, it would be less confusing to call them by their scout names, that way they wouldn't get mixed up with the present scout's.  
  
Ikuko smiled. "Of course I'll teach you Rini. It'll be nice to teach someone to cook. Serena was never exactly…coordinated enough for cooking."  
  
Rini giggled. Then she stood up and carried her dishes to the sink.   
  
"Rini," Ikuko said, "how about you get dressed, then I'll teach you to make the pie. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Rini said skipping towards the stairs, "Thanks, Grandma."  
  
*****  
  
'I never realized just how mind numbingly boring this class was.' Serena thought. She was in her social studies class, and her teacher had spent the last half-hour droning on about Roman Empire. A quick glance at Mina, who was sitting next to her, told her that she was just as bored. Unfortunately, they had both been lectured by their guardians that they had to pay attention in class, and not get in trouble. That meant no daydreaming, note writing, sleeping, or whispering during class. 'This is so not fun.'  
  
"Serena," her teacher said, snapping Serena back to reality. "Which Roman emperor had an affair with Cleopatra?"   
  
"Ummm," 'Think, Serena, think! Just guess!' She could only remember one name, so figured that it was better then just saying she didn't know. "Caesar…Julius Caesar."  
  
"That's…correct." Her teacher said, rather surprised. "Glad to see that you're paying attention. Now Mina…"  
  
And Serena resumed her daydream.  
  
*****  
  
"So Rini," Ikuko said. She and Rini were standing at the counter, juicing the lemons. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but…how is your life in Crystal Tokyo?"   
  
Ikuko was doing her best to sidestep the question that she really wanted the answer to, but Rini saw right through it. "Mommy and Daddy *are* happy. We all are. I mean, they miss having normal lives, but I don't think that they would give up being Queen and King for anything. It's fun for them. They spent years training to be rulers, then lost it, now they finally get to. Plus everyone loves them."  
  
"I'm glad. You know, if someone had come up to me and told me that Serena would be the ruling Queen of a Utopia, I would have sent them to a psychiatrist. It's just so hard to believe that my klutzy, whiney Serena could be a powerful Queen." Ikuko said, chuckling slightly.  
  
"It's hard to believe that klutzy Serena is my graceful Mom too. But I think that Serena is really starting to grow up." Rini added.  
  
"I've noticed that too. I do wish that I could have kept her as my little girl for longer, but," Ikuko said, turning to face Rini "I am glad that she is going to grow up alright and have a precious little girl." Rini smiled. She had always missed the fact that she didn't have grandparents in Crystal Tokyo. But now she could get the grandparent-granddaughter treatment whenever she was in the past.   
  
*****  
  
It was beginning to feel like time had literally stopped when the lunch bell finally rang. Serena snapped out of her daze quickly, and dashed out the door. As she walked down the hall, the students parted, giving her a clear path, and gazed at her. It had been like this all day. Serena also noticed that she had a group of both guys and girls following her; it was her own personnel fan club. Luckily the class where she would be having her lunch was coming up, so she wouldn't have to put up with this much longer. As soon as she was in the classroom, she closed the door behind her, leaned against it for a moment, and went to join the other girls.   
  
"Tough day with the fans?" Lita questioned jokingly.  
  
Serena picked up on it pretty quickly. "Oh, it's awful. I can't go five minutes without signing my name, and people are willing to give me extremely large sums of money to be in a commercial for a product I've never heard of. I when I walk down the halls, people actually form a path. My life is horrible." Serena, Lita, and Mina all collapsed into fits of laughter.  
  
"Umm, am I interrupting something?"  
  
Serena recovered in time to see who was standing at the door. In a split second she was off the floor and had the person at the door in a hug. "Molly!" she cried, about ten times happier then would be thought possible. "Oh, I've missed you! I haven't gotten to talk to you all day! I'm soo happy you're here!"  
  
"Serena…can't…breathe!" Molly managed to get out. Serena had here in an extremely tight hug, and although she was happy to see her, breathing was a necessity.  
  
"Opps." Serena said, giggling. "Sorry."  
  
"So anyway Molly," Lita said, as Molly and Serena sat down on top of desks to eat. "have the reporters been giving you any trouble?"  
  
"Not really, but man, can they ask a lot of questions!"  
  
"Like what?" Amy asked.  
  
"Oh, the usually – 'Did you know before who the scouts were? It has come to our attention that you're a close friend to Sailor Moon. Do you feel betrayed how she kept such a large secret from her? Do you feel that your life is endangered because of your friendship with Sailor Moon?' etcetera. Really, those reporters talk faster then you, Serena."  
  
The girls all laughed at that. It was hard to imagine *anyone* being able to talk faster then Serena. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the reporter.  
  
"Excuse me," the voice said. Amy was the first to notice her.   
  
"You're not supposed to be here." Amy said.  
  
The reporter ignored Amy's comment. "I'm Ashley Leosa of the Rising Sun newspaper. I have just a few questions. Ms. Tsukino, how do you feel being entrusted with the world's safety? Do you ever feel like giving up your power? How did you become Sailor Scouts?" Leosa had her tape recorder out and was ready to record what ever was said.  
  
They all stood frozen for a second, until Lita moved in front of Serena. "Remember," Lita whispered to Serena. "We don't have to tell them anything. Don't say anything, just stay quiet."  
  
Mina and Amy realized what Lita was doing and joined her, creating a wall, so that the reporter couldn't get to Serena. Molly moved to stand next to Serena.  
  
"So," Leosa said, realizing that she would be able to get to Serena. "Ms. Kino, you seem fairly protective of Sailor Moon, is their any real reason why? Do feel that your strength makes you more important then the other scouts? You're an orphan correct? Do you think that your parents would have been proud of you?" You could see the thunder flashing in Lita's eyes, but still, she remained silent. "Ms. Mizuno, you seem to be the smartest of all the scouts, what position does that put you in during battles? Your intelligence is in fact incredible, is that part of your powers as Sailor Mercury? Do you think that you should be leader instead because your I.Q. is higher?" Amy looked like she wanted to respond and set the record straight, but remained silent as well, and just stared at Ms. Leosa. "Ms. Aino, what exactly is your position as Sailor Venus? The others, excluding Sailor Moon, seem to represent different elements, but you have never shown attacks specific to any certain element. What do you represent? You were the last scout to join for quite a while, do you ever feel excluded from the group because of it?" Mina had to bite her lip to keep from answering. Right now, Mina would have given anything to have permission to transform and that woman right out the room. Luckily, Lita took care of it for her.  
  
"None of us," Lita said, looking straight at the reporter. "are going to answer *any* of your questions. I suggest that you leave now, before we have to have you removed."  
  
Leosa seemed intimidated by Lita for a moment before she resumed. "What about Sailor V? she hasn't been seen or heard from in over two years? Do you know why that is? Was she ever supposed to join up with this team, or was she not a real scout at all? What about Tuxedo Mask; who is he? There seems to be a bit of a romance between him and Sailor Moon, what are your comments about that Ms. Tsukino? Your supposed boyfriend, Darien Chiba, how does he feel about this? And what about the other scouts, what are their identities? And don't you think that Sailor Mini Moon is a bit young to fight? Don't you feel bad about risking an eight year old's life? Why is she *Mini* Moon? We understand that you two are cousins, but is there another connection? Why doesn't she live with her parents all the time?"  
  
Leosa didn't get a chance to finish. Lita and Mina each held one arm and carried her out of the room. "That's quite enough." Lita said. they put her down outside the door. "And don't bother us again." Mina added. Then they both shut the door, and this time, locked it. when they turned around the expression on Serena's face made them gasp.  
  
Pure, utter, depression was the expression she wore. "She's right." Serena whispered.  
  
"Serena," Molly said quietly. "What do you mean? Right about what?"  
  
The girls had been over this discussion countless numbers of times, usually after every single major battle. Serena would state that that battle had put Rini's life in too much danger. Then Rini would say that it was in no more danger then the rest of their lives, and her fighting skills are almost just as good as the rest of them. Serena would then agree that Rini had fought well, but she still had her whole life ahead of her, and Serena didn't want her to lose it because a fight went wrong. Then Rini would say how if she didn't fight, they might lose and all of them would be killed, and she wouldn't exist at all. Usually Darien would have to break them up, and would just explain to Rini that she has to be extra careful, since she is so young. Although the others didn't say anything, they all agreed with Serena. An eight year old shouldn't be fighting, but there wasn't really anything that they could do, exact make sure that she was always protected.  
  
"She's just upset about how the reporter said that we're allowing an eight-year-old to fight. Serena still thinks that Rini should have waited until she's older to fight in the battles. She should normally have maybe just begun her training now, and hold off on the battles for a year or two. But it wasn't our decision on when she became a scout." Lita said, answering for Serena. "In the meantime, lunch is over in about 10 minutes, so I think that we had better hurry and eat."  
  
The girls all pulled out their lunches and started in on them right away.  
  
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Done another chapter!!! Truely happy, can't wait to start on my next story, just gotta wait for this one to finish. Oh, does anyone know places where i can download subtitled Japenese Sailor Moon (hopefully for free). I only need the R, S, and SuperS seasons. Does anybody know where to get them?  
  
Oh, and does anyone know a site that has Japenese baby names. If you do, please email me n tell me. Thankz:) 


	7. Chapter Six

Hey everybuddy. Here's another chapter. Enjoy:)  
  
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"Darien!" Serena screamed happily, when she saw the familiar red sports car parked in the parking lot. The girls had all come out of the back door to avoid the press camped around the front of the school, and luckily Darien had anticipated that and was parked and waiting in the back lot. Serena ran to the side door and climbed in.   
  
Darien leaned over and gave her a kiss. "What about the other girls? Don't they want a ride home too?"  
  
"Oh, they have their own ways of getting home." Serena smiled slightly, and kissed him again. Then she leaned back into the seat. In the distance, you could see 3 figures, dressed in Sailor suits, roof hoping their way home.   
  
Darien started up the car and put his arm around Serena drawing her close. Serena settled herself comfortably in his arms.  
  
"Oh," Serena moaned silently. "I've missed you so much. It's been so hard without you."  
  
Darien kissed her on the top of her head. "I've missed you too."  
  
"So, what did Andrew say when you told him?  
  
"Well…"  
  
*Flashback*  
  
It was early Monday morning when Darien walked into the Crown Arcade.  
  
"About time you got here!" Andrew said from behind the counter. He had been waiting since Sunday morning for Darien to come in and talk to him.   
  
"Umm, hi Andrew." Darien hadn't expected that welcome. He had more expected a friendly 'Hi.'  
  
"Sit." was all Andrew said. Luckily, Darien noticed, Andrew had a huge smile on his face, like he had heard a really funny joke and couldn't wait to tell it.  
  
Darien walked over to counter and sat down. "I'm going to guess that you know about Serena and the girls."  
  
"Well duh! I'm not *that* out of it. What I want to know is how come you never told me that you were Tuxedo Mask!"  
  
That last comment got Darien's attention fast. "How did you know that I'm Tuxedo Mask?!" 'Good going Darien!' he thought to himself. 'You could've denied it. Open mouth, insert foot."  
  
"Man, how long did you actually think that you could keep a secret that huge from your best friend." Andrew laughed slightly.  
  
Darien just stared at him. "How did you actually find out?"  
  
"Well, actually, I figured it out that time you kissed Sailor Moon…Serena on TV." Darien blushed at that, but only slightly. "I've seen the two of you kiss enough, and when you two kiss, it's like to pieces of a puzzle fitting together to form one. I've never seen any couple like that, not even Rita and I. So when I saw how Tux and Sailor Moon kissed, I knew that it was you guys."  
  
"So you've known about me and Serena all this time?" Darien asked. He didn't expect an answer, since he already knew it. "How come you never told us that you knew?"  
  
"Well, mostly because I knew that you didn't want anyone to find out."  
  
"Andrew," Darien said, looking him straight in the eye "Thanks."  
  
"Anytime bud, anytime."  
  
*end flashback*  
  
"So Andrew's known the whole time. I'm glad that he kept it a secret." Serena said.  
  
"Ya, that was nice of him. He never even told Rita."  
  
"Wow. Oh, Darien, stop. There's Sammy."  
  
Darien pulled over to the curb. Serena leaned her head out the window. "Sammy, get in."  
  
Serena got out so that Sammy could get in the back. When she got back in, she settled herself in Darien's arms again. Serena could here Sammy's complaint, but chose to ignore it. "So Sammy, how was school?"  
  
"The usual. Tons of people asking me questions, flunked err…*aced* my history test."  
  
"Great Sammy. Glad to see that I'm not the only one who fails err aces tests." Serena giggled. She could mentally see Sammy looking guilty in the backseat, which he was.   
  
In Serena's mind, they pulled up to the house far to soon. The media didn't appear to be around, but that probably was because they were still over at the school.  
  
"Why don't you come in Darien?" Serena asked him. She spoke whisper-like, but Darien heard her. "Daddy's not home yet, some you don't have to worry about being questioned to death, and I'm sure that Rini would like to see you. And it'll probably be the closest thing that we can get to a date for a few weeks."  
  
"Aw, would I ever pass up the chance to spend time with you? Never."  
  
Serena gave him kiss, quite a long one. Sammy, of course, decided that maybe they had forgotten about him.  
  
"Ahem." He said rather loudly. Serena and Darien pulled away from their kiss, and blushed when they realized that they had forgotten that he was in the backseat. "If you guys are going to continue to make-out, can you at least let me out of the car."  
  
Serena and Darien both blushed more, and climbed out of the car. Sammy, quickly climbed out and dashed inside, in a hurry to get away from the lovebirds. Serena and Darien, however, took a much slower pace, holding hands tightly.  
  
"Mom! Rini! We're home!" Serena cried when her and Darien entered the room.  
  
Rini poked her head around the corner. Her eyes lit up when she saw Darien. "Darien!" she cried, running towards him. She took a leap and jumped into his arms. Luckily, he was prepared for it.  
  
"Hello Rini" he said, after giving her a hug.  
  
"Oh, Darien, hello." Ikuko said, when she came into the hall. "I'm glad you're here. Come into the living room, Rini and I made a lemon pie, so there's something for a nice snack." Ikuko walked back into the kitchen to get the snack.   
  
Serena and Darien, still carrying Rini, went into the living room and sat down. Rini moved out of Darien's arms and sat on the couch next to him. Darien wrapped his arm around Serena's shoulders, and she happily leaned against him. 'They look a lot like Mommy and Daddy do.' Rini thought watching them communicate with their eyes, and just enjoy each other's company. 'it makes sense, cause they *are* Mommy and Daddy, but still. Serena and Darien are in a totally different time. Ugh, this is way to complicated.' Rini leaned back on the couch, giving her brains a rest.  
  
They talked for a while, mostly discussing the media. Naturally, they all managed to finish off almost the entire pie, leaving one piece for Kenji. When Serena finally checked the time, she gasped.  
  
"Darien," she said. "Daddy will be home in a few minutes. I don't know about you, but I don't think dealing with him right now would benefit anyone."  
  
"Your right, Serena. Want to walk me to the door?"  
  
They got up, and still holding onto each other, walked out to the door. Rini followed them, but stopped at the doorway. She didn't want to interfere in their "moment". Instead, she turned around and walked up the stairs to her room. She was about to climb up onto the roof, but decided against it. instead, she sat by the window to watch the city.  
  
Darien and Serena, meanwhile, were still at the door, locked in one of their Don't-Let-Me-Go goodbye kisses. They only broke apart when they finally needed air. "I love you" Serena whispered to him.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"I'll miss you."  
  
"I'll miss you more."  
  
Darien, realizing what time it was, gave Serena a quick goodbye kiss, walked out to his car and got in. as he drove down the street, he noticed Kenji's car driving up to the house. 'Way to close.' He thought to himself.  
  
Kenji, meanwhile, entered the house with a look of pure anger. At first, she thought that it was because he had seen Darien, but when he walked passed her without even noticing her, Serena decided that it must be something else.  
  
"The nerve!" Kenji shouted when he entered the kitchen. Serena followed him. "Can you believe the nerve of my boss?!"  
  
"What happened honey?" Ikuko said.  
  
"My boss comes into my office and tells me that he wants me to do a tell-all article about my daughter and the Sailor Scouts! It took every bit of discipline I had to not tell him where he could shove his idea! Can you believe that he would actually ask me to do something like that?!"   
  
"I'll do it." Serena said from the doorway.  
  
"Serena," her father said, trying to calm down. He hadn't even noticed her before. "No you will not. I refuse to do any type of a story on you. I just won't."  
  
"Daddy, please. Maybe this will stop the reporters from hounding us."  
  
"Or make them go after you even more."  
  
"Either way, at least with you we can control what you write, and I know, we know, that you won't twist what we say. And I don't want you losing your job because of this."  
  
"Serena, I won't." Her father was speaking in his most soothing voice. He didn't want to add to the concerns that she already carried. "Remember, bunny, I'm not a reporter, I'm a photographer. My boss knew that when he gave me the assignment. He knew that I wouldn't take it, but he wanted to try. But, Serena, I refuse to participate in anything that will make your life harder, and puts more pressure on you. This was supposed to be a secret; I won't help expose it more. You understand, right?"  
  
"Yes daddy." Serena said, somewhat reluctantly. She knew that Kenji would have some problems because he wouldn't do the article, but Serena agreed with what he said. Exposing themselves more wouldn't help at all. "I'll be in my room."  
  
***  
  
When Serena got to her room, she sat down by the window, and just stared at the moon. 'It just isn't fair.' She thought. 'I was sent to Earth so I could have a normal life. It was destroyed when I became a scout, but I could at least have a normal life between battles. After Galaxia, it should have been easier, with only strays. I don't know why any of us thought that, we just did. And now…' You could see two trails of tears running down Serena's face. You couldn't hear her crying, but you could see she was. 'We can never have a normal life. The media will always be around, and Crystal Tokyo, probably in ten years or so. I wish… I wish we could just go back, stop the reporter who started this.'  
  
Serena was still staring at the moon, silently crying, when Rini came in. "Serena?" she whispered. It was barely audible, so Serena couldn't hear it. Rini quietly went up to her, and wrapped her arms around Serena. "No matter what Serena," Rini whispered, quiet enough so that only she and Serena could hear. "The scouts and I, we will always protect you. The media will always be there, but I'll bet that they eventually back off a bit. Just, don't worry. I like you better happy."  
  
Serena tore her eyes away from the moon to look at the little girl. Serena could see a few tears falling from Rini's eyes now too. 'Oh, Rini.' Serena thought, picking the small girl up and setting her down next to her. 'She's right. It will be okay. And worse comes to worse, Jupiter could always give the media a small electric shock.' That thought made her smile, and she went back to staring at the moon.  
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Another chapter done (Woohoo!). Warning everybody, epilogue is next. Then I get to start on my new story!!! 


	8. Epilogue

Here's the epilogue. Enjoy:)  
  
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The days continued on much like that one. More then once would Rini come home crying because the reporters and classmates had been asking her questions like "Your attacks are fairly weak, and don't make much of a difference. Do you think that maybe you just stay a scout because they don't want to hurt your feelings" or "Why is it you don't live with your parents all the time? Did something happen to them? Do you feel like you've been abandoned?". Naturally, Serena would comfort her, and silently swear that one day those reporters would pay. It was nearly four weeks before the newspapers started to back off a bit, although the tabloids still managed to keep the Sailor Scouts in their issues, but it had always been like that. Of course, Darien was found out a week after the scouts, which didn't help them. Luckily, the outer scouts stayed hidden, mostly because they weren't ever really around. Serena did eventually tell her parents who the outers were, but only because they really wanted to know.  
  
Serena and the others did end up doing a tell-all, but it was done by one of her father's friends. Serena made it very clear at the beginning that Rini would not take part in it. the article ended up being extremely long, and covered the bases of why they're scouts, the enemy's they've fought, and anything else relevant. Obviously, a lot was left out; things like the Silver Millennium and Moon Kingdom, Crystal Tokyo and Rini from the future, the fact that they have died, any information about the Empirium Silver Crystal and Golden Crystal, and the fact that Luna, Artemis, and Diana could talk. Amy worked with the reporter to make sure that nothing was put in that could lead anyone else to believe that there was more to the story that they weren't telling. All in all, they considered it a success. Kenji did the photographs for the article, since it was his expertise.  
  
Serena, with Luna's help, managed to pull her average up to a low B. Rini was probably the happiest person to see that, because that was another stepping stone to her becoming Neo-Queen. The temple benefited greatly from this, mostly because almost everyone wanted to have a charm blessed by Sailor Mars. Amy was a bit upset about all the attention she was getting, and quiet study time became hard to get for long periods of time. Mina, however, loved the attention. In her mind, this was the beginning of a star career, and her marks were even pulled up to an extremely low B average. Artemis was thrilled that at least she wasn't failing anymore, but still demanded that she study daily and work harder. Lita, despite the fact that people were scared of her, became popular, like the other girls. But, as she stated, she would rather be with the girls cooking then surround by the "Jupiter Fan Club". Darien became the center of most girls' daydreams, since they all wanted someone to come and save them at the last minute with a rose. Serena, however, was not at all pleased with that, and *everyone* knew it. Rini ended up becoming extremely popular with the kids, since she was the only eight and a sailor scout. Unfortunately, Rini was forced to endure teasing from some kids, things about how she was a "baby-scout" and that she had to live with her aunt and uncle while she was training, that is until Serena, Lita, and Raye told them to knock it off. Still, she refused to leave just yet, which Serena and Darien were secretly glad for.  
  
About three weeks after the secret was exposed, Serena and the others received they're first royalties check. to quote Mina "My God, we make *that* much just because of the Sailor Scout merchandise?!" Needless to say, they were pleased. Unfortunately, they all found out later that the money had to be put in a bank account until they were eighteen. Darien didn't have to worry about that, since he was legal age and could use his money right away, Serena, Mina, Lita, Amy, and Raye were a bit upset that they couldn't start spending the money right away, but two years wasn't too long to wait. Rini was probably the most upset of all of them, but that was just because she would never get to spend the money. However, as Serena reminded her, she lived in the Crystal Palace, and was Neo-Princess of the Earth and Moon. That made Rini feel much better. They were all even more excited when they found out that got one of each of the Sailor Scouts products produced. Of course, that did mean that they all needed plenty of storage space, but it didn't bug them. And as they all commented, Rini had the best situation. She could send anything she wanted to Crystal Tokyo.  
  
All in all, as they many years later agreed, it was better for at least their families and friends to know. Maybe not the whole world, but it was better then waiting until Crystal Tokyo to tell them. And, at least this way, if something were to happen to them, their parents and friends would know why it happened, and possibly how. Surprising how what can be considered one of the worst possible moments in your life can actually turn out to be for the best.  
  
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*ducks flying objects* Hey, no watermelons. Those hurt. I'm going to guess that some of you wanted more? Well, I had planned on making this story longer, but then I decided to end it here. Reasons? Well...  
1) My grades are starting to drop because I've spent so much time writing this story. And I have tons of projects to do now, so I really don't have time to work on this fanfic. Any spare time that I have now is going to be focused on my next fic (it's more fun and exciting).  
  
2) I was starting to get bored of this fic. I actually started it in like March, but I didn't get alot of time to work on it until now.  
  
3) If I did any more, it would become too boring. Believe me, I had lots of ideas of things to add to this story, but I realized that this story should center on one thing. All those ideas can be put into my other storys.  
  
And finally...  
4) I wanted to leave this story off at a point where my readers could still imagine what would happen next. And anyway, it is impossible to truly compleate a fic based on the secret getting out, because, lots of things will happen after, and if you put them all in, then the ending for your story could only come when they die. That's why fics like this are the start of a series.  
  
Anyway, I hope that epilogue turned out okay. It's amazing how much you can write when you pull an all nighter. Once more, comments are greatly appreciated, and I look forward to having you read my next fic:) See you till then. 


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